Johannesburg - The mayor of Johannesburg, Mpho Phalatse said it was a DA decision for the party not to work with the EFF and not Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille’s decision.
Phalatse was addressing the media before a council meeting that would see her facing a motion of no confidence.
The Star understands that Phalatse needs support from the EFF for her to survive the motion of no confidence.
But in a surprise move Phalatse told reporters that it was a DA decision for the party not to work with the EFF.
“Was it Helen’s decision that we should not work with the EFF? No, it was a FedEx decision? The FedEx of the DA is made up of 20 different mandated decision-makers from different parts of the country. They table matters and matters get debated on robustly, so it was not Helen’s decision,” Phalatse said.
Phalatse described Zille as a mentor, despite former DA members saying that Phalatse had been set up for failure in Johannesburg.
The Star understands that the beleaguered mayor had tried appealing to DA leaders to form a working relationship with the EFF but that had been rejected.
Phalatse said she was confident that she would retain her seat as mayor despite the numbers being against the multiparty government.
She said she was sure that the minority parties were working with the ANC to unseat her but said she was not sure if the EFF would support her.
Phalatse faces two proposals of motions of no confidence brought by the minority parties.
The Star