Msimanga's removal an alignment strategy by ANC and EFF - analyst
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga believes there might be very well be a change of leadership in the Tshwane Metro by Thursday.
The African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have both tabled a motion of no confidence in the Democratic Alliance (DA) Mayor, Solly Msimanga.
The motions come week after the DA announced Msimanga as its candidate to become Gauteng premier should the party win next year’s elections in the province.
Mathekga says the move to unseat Msimanga is the start of closer cooperation between the ANC and EFF ahead of next year’s elections.
"The manoeuvre, I believe, will succeed because the EFF wants to distance itself from the DA as much as possible before the elections," says Mathekga.
He adds when it comes to policies the EFF would rather deal with the ANC, than the DA.
The disagreement between the DA and the EFF stems from the expropriation without compensation debate held in parliament earlier in the year, the ANC voted with the EFF on the matter. The DA voted against the motion to amend Section 25 of the Constitution.
The ANC proposed its regional chairperson Kgosi Maepa as Msimanga’s successor should the motion be successful.
"The bigger part is not about who is going to replace Solly Msimanga, and this is about getting rid of the DA from the municipality."
He believes the ANC chose Maepa to fill the position in an attempt to avoid the 2016 local government elections when the party chose outsider Thoko Didiza to represent the mayoral candidacy in the city.
That move backfired with ANC voters deciding either not to vote or voted for opposition parties.
Mathekga says organisation has realised that selecting someone from the regional structures is more palatable to voters.
Listen below: