‘ActionSA betrayed us and overstated its importance,' says ANC, as Joburg Speaker is removed

News24

4 days ago

Johannesburg Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu has been removed by a council vote backed by the ANC, EFF, DA and Al Jama-ah.
The ANC says ActionSA 'betrayed' the coalition and overstated its importance in council, prompting Mthembu's ousting.
Mthembu says she holds no grudge, defends her record and blames 'cheap politics' for sidelining service delivery.
Tensions in the Johannesburg council came to a head on Thursday as councillors voted on three pivotal motions, resulting in the removal of Speaker Nobuhle Mthembu, while Mayor Dada Morero and ANC Chief Whip Sithembiso Zungu survived their respective no-confidence votes.
The motion to remove Morero failed with 75 votes in favour, 144 against and 43 abstentions, falling short of the required 136-vote majority in the 270-seat council. Zungu also survived, with 179 councillors voting against his removal, 69 in favour, and six abstaining.
However, Mthembu was ousted after 212 councillors voted in favour of her removal and 48 against, with no abstentions. The motion — tabled by Al Jama-ah — was supported by the ANC, EFF and DA, and a temporary replacement will serve as Speaker until a new appointment is made.
Tensions within the coalition erupt
The vote marks the culmination of weeks of tension between the ANC and ActionSA, whose alliance in Johannesburg has steadily deteriorated.
Although the DA submitted motions of no confidence in all three officials following Morero's State of the City address last month, only the motions against Morero and Zungu were accepted. The motion against Mthembu initially was not — prompting Al Jama-ah to bring its own, which later succeeded.
Speaking to City Press, ANC Joburg Regional Task Team coordinator Sasabone Manganye said ActionSA had proven to be an unreliable coalition partner and had ultimately 'betrayed' the ANC.
'We engaged with ActionSA last year... They wanted to be in the legislature to have the Speaker on their side, and we agreed that they would join the coalition,' Manganye told City Press.
'But this year, they started voting against us — including on the budget adjustment and the appointment of the acting city manager, which they agreed to in meetings but did not support in council. We saw the betrayal coming.'
To an extent, Michael [Beaumont] even made a statement that they are not in a coalition with us, and that's when we started to re-engage them because we were concerned about how we could have a speaker who is not in a coalition with us.
Sasabone Manganye
ActionSA abstains as Morero survives
City Press understands that the ANC chose to support the motion against Mthembu after ActionSA declined to defend Morero, indicating it would abstain from the vote on his removal.
In a media briefing prior to the vote, Beaumont, who is ActionSA's national chairperson, said the party would not back the mayor, citing a lack of service delivery.
'Service delivery in Johannesburg has collapsed. Traffic lights are not working, streets are falling apart, and electricity and water outages are more than ever before,' Beaumont said.
We informed the ANC we would not support the mayor.
Michael Beaumont
The DA, which brought the original motion, echoed similar concerns. DA caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku told the media that under Morero's leadership, the city was in crisis.
'As far as the DA is concerned, the mayor has shown by writing to the Presidential Working Group to ask for intervention and by appointing a bomb squad without council approval that he has gone rogue and is incapable of running Johannesburg.'
READ: Joburg mayor's turnaround plan: billions allocated for infrastructure and 'bomb squad' for city's woes
ActionSA was warned ahead of the vote.
Manganye said the ANC's provincial leadership had instructed its councillors to vote against all the motions — including those targeting Mthembu — to preserve ongoing coalition talks and avoid politicising them.
'Our provincial leadership was very clear. Because we were still having talks with ActionSA to resolve our contradictions, it would be fair that we vote against all the motions so that our discussions are not clouded by these motions,' he said.
The ANC never raised any motion against anyone, but ActionSA refused. They said, 'No, we are going to abstain on the motion against the mayor.' So, it means, according to them, the mayor can be removed.
Manganye
He said this refusal solidified the ANC's decision to support Mthembu's removal, as ActionSA had already signalled its unwillingness to protect the coalition.
'We then told them in advance to advise the Speaker to resign. If the Speaker does not resign, we will vote against her. Unfortunately, they did not — and she is out now.'
He added that the ANC initially brought ActionSA into the fold not out of necessity, but to stabilise the coalition.
'We did not bring them in because we needed numbers. We brought them in in the interest of the residents and to stabilise governance. But they became a source of instability.'
'Speaker continuously out of line'
Manganye further pointed to Mthembu's conduct as Speaker, including her decision to adjourn a council meeting during a critical budget adjustment session, as a sign of her misalignment with coalition objectives.
'She adjourned council just because of a small commotion, instead of calling for a short adjournment and continuing. We had to get permission from the MEC to pass the budget.'
He added that ActionSA's refusal to acknowledge the coalition agreement, despite participating in its structures, made them an untrustworthy partner.
'They overrate their importance, not realising we did not necessarily need them. They were dishonest and misled us.'
READ: 'I'll do anything to save this city' – Helen Zille considers DA mayoral run in Joburg
'ActionSA did not let me down'
Reacting to her removal, Mthembu said she holds no resentment toward her party and stands by her legacy in office.
'Look, I cannot feel let down by my political party. ActionSA is the party that gave me the platform to one day be the Speaker of Johannesburg,' she said.
'The Speaker fulfilled her mandate. Today, the Johannesburg Museum has money allocated to it because of the pressure we applied to the executive. The Lilian Ngoyi Phase One project will be completed by August — again, because of that pressure.'
Asked about the breakdown in the ANC–ActionSA relationship, she pointed to political deceit and blamed both the ANC and DA.
This is politics, and it's unfortunate that residents are not being put first. As much as you can blame the ANC, don't forget the DA — they sponsored the motion in an effort to bring back Kabelo Gwamanda,' she said.
Nobuhle Mthembu
'Council cannot continue. Reports that affect service delivery won't be tabled — because the DA wants to play cheap politics to position Helen Zille's candidate for 2026.'
Mthembu defended the legislative arm of the city, saying it had been functional, inclusive, and responsive.
'Legislature was working. We ran successful IDP sessions. DA councillors didn't even attend. Residents were complaining. So, who are they really serving?'
On her political future, Mthembu said her removal wouldn't stop her work.
'I didn't join ActionSA to be Speaker of Johannesburg. I joined because I wanted to serve.'
Looking ahead
Manganye confirmed the ANC is still open to talks with ActionSA — but only under clear terms.
'We are open to working with anyone who wants to stabilise governance. But unless ActionSA recommits to being part of the coalition and abides by its rules, we don't think it's worth it.'
Despite the fallout, he emphasised that the ANC's provincial leadership is still engaging with ActionSA.
'Our engagements are still open, not closed. But we did not remove a Speaker from a party we had a relationship with — we removed a Speaker from a party that misled us.'
According to council rules, a new Speaker must be elected within 14 days.