AS coalition talks begin in earnest this week, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has made it clear that it will not go into a coalition with the ANC or the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The party’s leader John Steenhuisen confirmed the DA’s position on coalition agreements following its federal executive meeting on Sunday to make a final decision on possible coalition partners in the 66 hung municipalities across the country.
The DA, which came second in the major metros, wants to exclude the ANC from the governments of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay.
“It is not the DA’s job to save the ANC. Our job is to save SA. The DA will not go into a coalition with the ANC or EFF. Our focus is on building governments that get things done for residents,” said Steenhuisen.
“We want stable coalitions that are able to govern well in those cities. There’s a crisis in municipalities and jobs are being lost and opportunities are being wasted because municipalities cannot deal with sewerage on the streets and the keep the lights on.”
Steenhuisen said it was better to be a good opposition than part of a bad coalition.
“This is why our Local Government Coalition Agreement, which all coalition partners will have to sign, very clearly sets out the non-negotiable principles in its preamble. All coalition members shall ensure the municipality is driven by the pursuit of excellence, this includes merit-based appointments and policymaking guided by evidence and the objectives set out in this agreement. No party to this agreement shall enter any other coalition which is inconsistent with this agreement.”
Steenhuisen said the ANC was responsible for service delivery problems in Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.
While Steenhuisen has ruled out the ANC, other party members, according to insiders, were also not in favour of ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, former DA mayor in Joburg in 2016 until October 2019.
Like the DA, Mashaba has also ruled out a possibility of a coalition with the ANC after his party secured 44 seats in Joburg.
Both the DA and ANC in the three metros were hoping to get the support of smaller parties to gain a majority in the three metros.
The EFF, which is the third biggest party in Gauteng, has set stringent conditions to enter into any coalition government negotiations.
One of the conditions was that its partners must agree to land expropriation without compensation, which the DA has already ruled out in previous statements.
- Inside Politics
