DURBAN - THE quest by smaller parties to play a bigger role in the affairs of eThekwini Municipality is gaining ground as they flex their muscles, demanding to be placed in influential portfolio committees.
Some of the parties have their eye on the human settlements and infrastructure committee, possibly the biggest committee based on its functions and the budget it oversees.
Portfolio committees play an oversight role on the various municipal departments and a supporting role to the executive committee. Placement in these committees is largely an administrative function by municipal staff, something these parties have said should rather be negotiated by the parties themselves.
The smaller parties are in the pound seats after helping the ANC retain its majority in the council. The ANC lost its tight grip on the KZN metro after falling below the threshold of absolute majority in the local government elections.
When The Mercury engaged with some of the smaller parties yesterday, it became clear that the “coalition” among themselves and with the ANC was tenuous. They claimed that voting with the ANC was and would be on a matter-by-matter basis.
At the moment, smaller parties are grappling to get a seat in the various committees and not the chair of such committees. A bigger fight to sit at the helm of the various committees could emerge when council meets.
African Democratic Change leader Visvin Reddy previously said that in exchange for their support, they wanted the ANC to give up the chair of the municipal public accounts committee (Mpact) and the ethics committee.
The ANC has already given up the deputy mayor position to Abantu Batho Congress leader Philani Mavundla in exchange for the party’s support. Mavundla, in turn, indicated that he was eyeing the chair of the human settlements and infrastructure committee.
The president of the Active Citizens Coalition, Imtiaz Syed, said yesterday that eThekwini was a “hung” municipality and the manner in which it had operated before would have to change.
“We do not want to be seated in governance and HR committees. They make no difference to our communities. We want to be placed in committees like human settlements and infrastructure where we can bring a lot of change to our communities.
“We also want the committee of human settlements and infrastructure to be broken up. They said water and the other committees (would be) independent and for the smaller parties to be brought in to chair these committees.
“We want the people who will chair these committees to be interviewed to gauge their suitability for that position.”
Syed warned that this council term would be rocky and could be punctuated by regular motions of no confidence, if solid arrangements that gave parties equal influence were not made.
He took exception to previous comments by Reddy that the smaller parties had secured victory for the ANC, saying Reddy did not speak on behalf of the smaller parties.
“There will be motions of no confidence every three months. I want to make it clear that we did not vote for the ANC as it has been said. It was a choice of mayors and deputy mayors that we had to vote for, either someone from the DA or from the ANC, and we chose to vote for the mayor, who will bring stability,” he said.
Patrick Pillay of the Democratic Liberal Congress said there was a meeting this week with the office of the speaker where the councillors had been allocated to the different committees. He objected to that, saying parties should decide on the allocation of the councillors to the different committees.
Reddy, who said he advocated that the smaller parties should work together, said he did not speak for those parties. He said there were 27 councillors who belonged to smaller or independent parties and allocating them to committees might prove to be an impossible task.
Mayoral spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said he was not aware of the issues raised by the councillors, saying such matters would be clarified in the council meeting next week.
THE MERCURY