JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG — As South Africa heads to the polls, the Al Jama-ah party has drawn a firm line in the sand regarding a potential Johannesburg coalition government. Johannesburg mayoral candidate Ashley Mama has officially ruled out any partnership with the Democratic Alliance (DA), citing the party’s stance on Israel and alleged constitutional violations, while simultaneously promising aggressive infrastructure reforms to tackle the city’s severe water and sanitation crisis.
Tackling the Water and Infrastructure Crisis
With residents grappling with persistent water outages and sewage spills, basic service delivery has become the central focus of the local election campaign. Mama attributes the current infrastructure decay to a fundamental lack of political will since 1994, noting that the city failed to build and maintain systems capable of servicing all residents.
To address the crisis, Al Jama-ah has promised the formation of a performance-based task team within its first 100 days in office to urgently clear the infrastructure backlog.
Mama emphasized that fixing the city requires more than just creating new committees; it demands a complete overhaul of the municipal procurement system. He argued that the current procurement process is deliberately opaque, designed to hide patronage and benefit specific individuals rather than the community. Under an Al Jama-ah administration, the party plans to cut red tape, enforce strict transparency, and introduce ward-level community participation so residents can help oversee and maintain their own local infrastructure.
Additionally, Mama highlighted the need to hold non-performing public servants accountable and eliminate “ghost employees” within the city, aiming to transform Johannesburg into a functioning economic development hub that shares its wealth among all residents.
The DA Red Line and Coalition Non-Negotiables
When asked about potential coalition partners in a hung council, Mama made it clear that the DA is the only political party Al Jama-ah will refuse to work with. He cited two primary reasons for this non-negotiable stance: the DA’s support for Israel, and a recent Constitutional Court ruling against the party in Cape Town.
Mama referenced the court’s findings that the DA violated the constitution regarding spatial planning and service delivery in Cape Town, accusing the party of attempting to bring back the ethos of the Group Areas Act.
For any other potential coalition partners, Al Jama-ah is demanding total transparency. Mama insisted that all coalition agreements must be publicized to eliminate “backroom deals,” ensuring residents understand exactly why and how their representatives are governing. Furthermore, the party intends to sign a formal social compact with both the public and public servants to guarantee mutual accountability.
Equitable Service Delivery for Marginalized Communities
A major focus of Mama’s campaign is the equitable distribution of services to historically marginalized colored townships, including Eldorado Park, Westbury, Nuclear, and Bosmont.
Highlighting the severe issue of sewage spilling directly into residents’ homes in these areas, Mama acknowledged that these communities have been neglected and treated as “second-rate citizens.” He noted that under previous administrations, these communities were caught in a demographic void—deemed “not white enough” and “not black enough”—resulting in a total lack of service delivery.
Al Jama-ah has pledged to empower these communities and ensure that the city services every resident equally, regardless of race, creed, or color.
Willingness to Work with Former Ruling Parties
Despite the severe infrastructure damage and water crisis caused by previous administrations, Mama confirmed that Al Jama-ah is willing to work with other political parties outside of the DA, including those historically responsible for the city’s current state.
Mama justified this willingness by pointing to a generational shift within these parties. He argued that the “old guard”—politicians in their 70s who originally negotiated the sunset clauses and ultimately collapsed the system—are being replaced by a younger, emerging generation of leaders.
According to Mama, this new demographic within established parties is focused on improving the city, making them viable partners for Al Jama-ah, provided they commit to transparent governance and equitable service delivery.
