MIDDELBURG — Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front (MHRF) leader Jomo Segage says his party will not enter into another political coalition without a written agreement setting out the terms of cooperation.
Segage made the remarks at a provincial Conference of the Left convened by the South African Communist Party (SACP) in Middelburg at the weekend.
Addressing delegates, he said any future cooperation between the MHRF and the SACP in council would need to be formalised through a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
“We want a memorandum of understanding that formalises the cooperation,” he said.
“We are ready to collaborate, but we need an MoU that spells out what pro-poor policies we will support together, what we will not do, how decisions will be taken, and how we protect each other as partners so we are not just used for votes.”
Segage said his position was shaped by what he described as two political betrayals following the 2021 local government elections.
He recalled how the MHRF had concluded talks with the Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and an independent councillor to form a voting bloc aimed at unseating the ANC in the hung Steve Tshwete Local Municipality.
Under the proposed arrangement, Segage was to be the bloc’s mayoral candidate. The parties and independent councillor together held 37 seats, comprising seven MHRF seats, nine EFF seats, 17 DA seats and one independent councillor. The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), which held three seats, was also part of the arrangement through its pact with the DA.
However, Segage said he learnt at midnight before a special council sitting on 23 November 2021 that the DA intended to abstain from the mayoral vote.
The municipality’s own account of the 23 November 2021 council sitting records that Masilela was elected executive mayor with 22 votes, while Segage received 16 votes. It also records that the DA and FF Plus abstained from the mayoral vote.
Segage also criticised the EFF in the presence of its provincial chairperson, Collen Sedibe, accusing the party of what he described as a second betrayal.
He said the EFF later supported a motion of no confidence against then Speaker Thato Mathunyane of the MHRF, which was debated in council on 10 February 2026.
EFF councillor Joseph Ngubeni was subsequently elected speaker unopposed. Segage said the ANC supported the motion, while the DA, MHRF and FF Plus abstained.
Segage said the two incidents had taught him not to enter into future political partnerships without a written agreement.
“I was taught a hard lesson: once bitten, twice shy,” he said.
SACP Mpumalanga provincial secretary Lucky Mbuyane said the party was engaged in bilateral discussions with the MHRF and had noted its proposal for a formal agreement.
“We cannot just take a decision as a province because we report to a structure that is above us at national level. So I can say that we are still consulting with the national leadership about the MHRF’s proposal,” he said.
