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Violence has broken out outside Rustenburg council chambers between Economic Freedom Fighters and ANC members.
News 24 journalist Lizeka Tandwa has reported that blood has been spilled following a fist fight at the Rustenburg Civic Centre.
The first council seating in Rustenburg today was expected to be loaded with drama because parties were still undecided on who will govern the municipality. Forum for Service Delivery (F4SD) media liaison Bosa Ledwaba told News24 that coalition talks between smaller parties had not yet been finalised.
“We are expecting that the DA will come back to us with a resolution. At this stage nothing is set in stone,” Ledwaba told News24 yesterday afternoon.
The ANC won 43 seats in council, failing to reach an outright majority in the municipality. However, should the smaller parties form a coalition, combined they would have 46 council seats, beating the ANC and taking away from them the platinum belt of South Africa.
The EFF won 24 seats, the DA took 14. The F4SD won four seats. The United Democratic Movement, the African Independent Congress and FF Plus each have one seat.
EFF leader Julius Malema told journalists during a media briefing on Wednesday that the Forum for Service Delivery (F4SD) would govern with the red berets’ votes in the municipality, this despite the EFF’s advantage over the smaller party.
Malema told journalists the EFF was not hungry for power and it would do what the party thought would benefit the people of Rustenburg.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said on Wednesday that the party had delegated power down to the province.
“Our principle commitment still remains [that] we must put an opposition government there as well. At this point in time the discussions are still taking place and the Rustenburg council has been postponed,” Maimane told journalists. – News 24
