EFF statement on the resignation of Johannesburg Mayor Herman
21 October 2019
The EFF notes with disappointment, the resignation of Herman Mashaba as Executive Mayor of Johannesburg effective on 27 November, 2019. Of all the mayors who presided over opposition coalition governments in hung municipalities, following the outcomes of the 2016 local government elections, Herman Mashaba is the only one who never arrogated himself into a leadership style as if the DA had won with an outright majority.
He was always humble, consultative and willing to concede to superior logic. Even as he belonged to a political party characterized by white supremacy and anti-poor policies: Mashaba turned his back on these policies and practices that are core to the DA. He became more social democratic than even the neo-liberal ANC that his coalition government replaced. He ran the city with the poor and not profit at the centre of policy planning.
This is particularly exemplified by his willingness to insource the workers that were long out-sourced by the ANC government; taking electricity to informal settlements; expropriating factories around Alexander for expansion of social housing; expanding the opening hours of clinics in poor communities and opening rehabilitation centres in drug addiction ridden areas.
Mashaba also stabilized the JMPD into a formidable force that fights crime in our city streets.
He also uncovered billion's worth of ANC corruption which the NPA is refusing to prosecute.
We congratulate him for the decisiveness of abounding a DA that has clearly turned right-wing. There is absolutely no doubt that the election of Helen Zille as Federal Chairperson is a turn to the right in the DA which should necessitate all social democrats to abandon it once and for all. Helen Zille represents a colour-blind white caucus that seeks to live life as if there is no racism and the brutal history of apartheid in South Africa. This worldview will result in policies that only entrance white privileged and power in the economy and social life.
The decision to leave the DA marks Mashaba out as a steward of the much-needed transformation of the local state in an unapologetic and uncompromising favour of the poor, black and neglected masses of our people. Mashaba's decisive move must shine light on all those hypocrites arrested by careerism in political parties that no longer serve what they publicly profess as their personal convictions.
Many left-wing forces are paralyzed by political expediency and personal ambitions for political appointments in the ruling party; they stay to implement neoliberal restructuring of state institutions in favour of the market and private capital, even when they are of socialist orientation. Mashaba is a far better politician who walked in the neoliberal door, and now comes out through the pro-poor social democratic door because of his honest interactions with the EFF. As a result, he achieved in three years what the ANC could not in 24 years.
His departure is a sad development for the left leaning and people-oriented transformation of the local state. A municipality that builds its internal capacity to deliver services instead of relying on tender driven market-oriented solutions.
The EFF will now enter into internal consultations and at a right moment, we shall inform the people of South Africa and the City of Johannesburg of our proposed way forward. We shall make these pronouncements in accordance with the deadline of the 27 November 2019.
Issued by Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, National Spokesperson, EFF, 21 Otober 2019
