Opposition Pact to Rule South Africa's Capital Under Threat

(Bloomberg) -- A pact that enables South Africa’s main opposition party to rule the capital, Pretoria, may be under threat after the Economic Freedom Fighters said its backing for a Democratic Alliance alliance mayor was contingent on it selecting the right candidate.

Athol Trollip, the DA mayor of the coastal city of Port Elizabeth, was removed by a motion brought by the EFF on Monday and the same fate awaits Pretoria mayor Solly Msimanga, EFF leader Julius Malema told reporters Tuesday. His comments highlight the fragility of cooperation agreements between the parties opposing the ruling African National Congress in the nation’s biggest cities.

The party is “ready to give it to the DA again the Tshwane, but let them bring a credible person,” Malema said, using the name for the municipality that includes Pretoria. “In the absence of any candidate, we won’t vote, we will abstain.”

The ANC said it will bring a motion of no confidence against Msimanga on Thursday.

The five-year old EFF is the third-largest party on national level and struck deals with the DA in 2016 to take control of Pretoria and Johannesburg, the economic hub, from the ANC. The EFF won’t vote to remove the DA’s Herman Mashaba as mayor of Johannesburg, Malema said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rene Vollgraaff in Johannesburg at rvollgraaff@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Stirling at cstirling1@bloomberg.net, Mike Cohen

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