Could the ANC take back Joburg after Herman Mashaba's resignation as mayor?

The resignation of Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba might give the ANC another shot at trying to form a coalition to lead the city.

This is the view of political analyst Ralph Mathekga, who said the mere mention of Mashaba's resignation brought into question the state of the DA’s coalition with other parties, including the EFF.

“Mashaba has put in personal effort to keep the coalition going. That coalition has significance for the Democratic Alliance, as it signifies the DA’s attempts to grow outside the Western Cape.

“If he leaves, the DA must make a new case for a growth strategy. The EFF might get out of the coalition with the DA, and this might affect Tshwane, too.”

Mathekga said the ANC gained the highest percentage of votes in the last local government election - 44.5% to the DA's 38.4% - and Mashaba’s resignation might give the ANC another shot at forming a coalition to take charge of the city.

“The ANC has been trying to remove Mashaba as mayor and his resignation might put the ANC in a strong position to negotiate a coalition to lead,” Mathekga said.

However, University of SA (Unisa) political analyst Prof Dirk Kotze said it was impossible to predict what would happen after Mashaba's resignation.

“The coalition agreement was between the DA and other parties, and not with Mashaba as a person. Strictly speaking, his resignation should not affect the coalition and the mayoral committee,” Kotze said.

However, he said the resignation might have an effect if the DA no longer had the support of the EFF.

The question was whether there would be sufficient support for Mashaba’s successor and whether the EFF, the DA's coalition partner, would support that candidate, said Kotze.