ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson Funzi Ngobeni on Friday expressed confidence that the City of Johannesburg will be governed through a coalition government after the upcoming local government elections, hitting back at the Democratic Alliance (DA) for recent comments made about possible coalitions in the City.

Ngobeni rejected what he said were ongoing attempts by the DA to mislead voters about the political reality in Johannesburg.

He said recent statements by DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille that suggested that ActionSA exists only as a potential coalition partner to the DA, are not accidental.

Zille had said she ruled out working with the African National Congress, Economic Freedom Fighters and the uMkhonto weSize parties.

“They are part of a deliberate political strategy to position the DA as the centre of gravity in Johannesburg, while quietly reducing ActionSA to a supporting role,” he said.

He pointed out that the real issue was not whether coalitions will exist, but who has the leadership, discipline and credibility to make one work.

“And here, the DA’s record speaks for itself. Across Gauteng, they have struggled to keep coalitions stable, often walking away or collapsing arrangements when it suited them. Residents in Johannesburg are still dealing with the fallout from that instability,” he stated.

Ngobeni warned that Johannesburg voters will not be told who to vote for based on assumptions.

“They will decide who is best placed to lead this city and ActionSA is contesting this election to lead, not to play junior partner in someone else’s project,” he said.

He expressed concerns with the DA’s position on coalitions, saying there is a contradiction in the DA’s argument.

“On the one hand, they warn voters about ‘fragmentation’. On the other, they are part of a national coalition government with the African National Congress and others. You can’t oppose coalitions in theory while relying on them in practice,” he said.

Ngobeni pointed out that ActionSA is taking a different route under its Johannesburg mayoral candidate Herman Mashaba’s leadership.

“We are on the ground, listening and working in communities across the city. The upcoming Freedom Day engagement in Orange Farm is just one example of a campaign that is present and focused on people’s daily realities,” Ngobeni said.

He highlighted that through the party’s #OperationFixJoburg campaign, ActionSA has put forward a practical plan to get the city working again.

“It focuses on fixing water and sanitation in neglected areas, restoring failing infrastructure, enforcing by-laws to bring back order, opening up local economic opportunities, and making sure residents can actually track whether services are being delivered in their wards.

“This is not about slogans. It is about a plan that speaks to what people are dealing with every day,” Ngobeni stated.

He said Johannesburg does not need political positioning, but that it needs leadership.