Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says the party aims to stabilise coalition governments across the country.
Steenhuisen is seeking re-election at the party’s Federal Congress taking place in Midrand, Johannesburg.
About 2 000 delegates will in the next two days debate the DA’s policies and elect new leadership.
Speaking at the congress, Steenhuisen said his party would ensure that there are better coalition governments ahead of the 2024 general elections.
“We have put forward a proposal, legislative amendment in Parliament, which seeks to stabilise coalitions, regardless which party is in charge. You don’t want instability and certainly you don’t want a repeated situation of instability We have seen in more provinces, so we must focus on securing these coalitions and making sure that they are focused on service delivery and not cheque book politics.”
Reducing ANC majority
Earlier, DA leadership contender Dr Mpho Phalatse said the party has a chance to bring the African National Congress (ANC) share of the vote to below 50% in the next election.
She is running for the party’s Federal leadership position against Steenhuisen.
Speaking to SABC News ahead of the official opening of the elective congress, Phalatse acknowledged that coalition governments were difficult to manage.
In the video below, analyst Angelo Fick unpacks proceedings at the DA congress:
