Johannesburg - As the battle for the control of Joburg was due to conclude on Monday, allegations of bribery and poaching, as well as risks that could potentially swing the votes from the DA-led bloc of opposition parties, have emerged.
On the eve of the council sitting, the EFF and the DA accused the ANC of approaching its councillors individually to garner votes for Monday’s election of mayor, speaker and chief whip.
The EFF named member of the mayoral committee for Housing Dan Bovu as the culprit behind the alleged R500 000 bribery offers made to its councillors in exchange for votes.
The DA also claimed that its councillors were approached by the ANC regional leadership, including chairman Parks Tau.
The ANC, however, dismissed the allegations, saying the parties “intended to project us as desperate” before the council meeting.
“We are not engaging with the DA as a party or individuals,” said ANC Joburg spokesman Jolidee Matongo.
“We spoke to comrade Bovu, who said he has not met EFF people or promised them anything. We are open to investigating this when we receive information from those who make the allegations.”
Matongo said that given what happened in Rustenburg where the ANC shocked an opposition bloc to retain power, the EFF was trying to scare its members.
The DA, meanwhile, owing to the outcome of the Rustenburg council election results and the twists in Mogale City, has identified two risk areas in Joburg in its bid to take charge of the jewel metro.
DA federal executive chairman James Selfe declined to say what the risks were, but insiders cited the party’s mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba and the possibility of people in other parties being swayed at the last minute.
According two DA councillors, who asked not to be named, Mashaba’s faux pas during interviews, which led to the EFF initially objecting to his candidacy, was an issue for several DA councillors.
“He is prone to controversy and there is widespread fear that if he is mayor he could be found wanting when required to answer on his feet,” said a DA councillor.
Another said the DA’s leadership was indebted to Mashaba for bankrolling the party’s campaign.
“Some of us also worry that he will be the face of administration in ribbon cutting only, while the real mayor will be the city manager whom we know will be Mike Moriarty, who was his campaign strategist,” he said.
The ANC in Joburg meanwhile vowed to fight to ensure that control of the city would be down to the wire.
The ANC won 121 seats in Joburg against the DA’s 104 and the EFF’s 30. The rest of the 270 council seats went to smaller parties.
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The Star