Johannesburg - As Premier David Makhura and his provincial executive council were in various regions in Tshwane on Wednesday to explain his decision to dissolve the metro’s council, the EFF was confident it would be the biggest beneficiary of the impending by-elections.
Makhura took the decision to dissolve the metro’s council last week following a protracted battle by the ANC and the EFF to oust the DA from power, leading to a consecutive collapse of sittings since last year.
The dissolution decision was, however, still awaiting concurrence from Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Should the national government and the NCOP approve the dissolution, political parties will have 90 days to campaign for fresh elections, while an administrator appointed by the provincial government will run the affairs of the metro.
On Wednesday, EFF caucus leader Oliver Mabongwana said all systems were in place for the campaign of the red berets for the by-elections, adding that the party was expecting to make serious inroads into the ANC’s traditional support base.
“We are more than ready to go for a by-election. Actually we were the first ones to welcome the decision to dissolve the council because we believe that there is no leadership in Tshwane.
“We are going for victory when we go to the elections because we are the only hope now,” Mabongwane said.
He said both the ANC and the DA failed the people of Tshwane after they were given chances to govern.
“The ANC has been running the municipality for 15 years and failed to run it well and deliver for our people, and the DA is failing to do so now. We are close to our people and we are confident about this by-election,” he said.
Since the 2016 local government elections, Tshwane has been under the DA-led coalition which was formed with the assistance of the EFF.
ANC Tshwane chairperson and caucus leader, Kgosi Maepa, said the party hit the ground running for the by-elections after Makhura’s announcement of the council dissolution.
He said the party was not bothered by the bruising electoral loss it suffered in 2016, which saw it being dislodged by the DA and other smaller parties, as ANC support improved around Tshwane in the general elections last year.
The DA, meanwhile, has vowed to take Makhura to court should he go ahead with his decision.