Former coalition partners unite behind Ngobeni for Joburg mayor

2 May 2023

ActionSA can confirm that it has been holding engagements with the IFP, the FF Plus, the ACDP and the UIM to determine the viability of rallying around a Mayoral Candidate that can stabilise governance for the benefit of all residents in Johannesburg.

In the wake of the DA’s unilateral announcement of Mpho Phalatse’s candidature, these parties have engaged in this process because of their commitment to governance stability, service delivery and combatting corruption – all of which cannot succeed with the ANC and EFF in government.

ActionSA is pleased to report that following considerable engagement, our Johannesburg Caucus Leader Funzi Ngobeni will be nominated as the candidate to be supported by these parties. We express our humble appreciation to our partners for their confidence. There have also been engagements with other parties represented in the Johannesburg council, many of whom see the merit in a coalition that is led by a party other than the ANC or the DA.

Ngobeni (48) is the ActionSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson and has served in the Johannesburg Mayoral Committee of two administrations in 2016 and 2021 terms of office. He has served as MMC for Finance, MMC Development Planning and an MMC Transport as well as the Leader of Executive Business. Ngobeni has both public sector and private sector experience and holds a post graduate diploma in public management. Importantly, especially given recent coalition history, he has proven to be a leader with the temperament to stabilise a coalition and this is undoubtedly a key consideration in the support of our partners.

Yesterday, ActionSA wrote to the DA on behalf of this collective of parties and requested an urgent engagement to seek the DA’s support for Ngobeni’s candidature for the mayoralty in Johannesburg. The case was made for the fact that Ngobeni could achieve a majority in council with the support of the DA, something that Phalatse cannot achieve (even with our collective support) because of the breakdown of relationships between the DA and other parties in council.

The DA refused the opportunity to meet responding only to persist in their unilateral nomination of Phalatse despite this only increasing the likelihood of an ANC and EFF government in Johannesburg – the stated purpose of the moonshot pact to prevent.

ActionSA is proud to stand among parties that have proven their unequivocal commitment to providing an alternative to the ANC and EFF in Johannesburg as well as in the 2024 elections. These parties have proven that they will not shy away from this commitment and nor will we be selective in terms of when they choose to live up to it.

Cities like Johannesburg with complex challenges cannot be fixed in the opposition benches and this is why these parties will work together today in Johannesburg and is willing to work with other parties to keep the ANC and EFF out of government.

Issued by Michael Beaumont, ActionSA National Chairperson, 2 May 2023