The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it’s prepared to go to opposition benches rather than establish a formal coalition with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). This follows the EFF’s pronouncement that it will no longer vote with the DA, as the party won’t give it the mayoral position in Tshwane.
The latest could spell the collapse of two of the most important metros in the country, Tswane and Johannesburg.
“Well, we are very sorry that this is EFF’s attitude. They came to us earlier in the year and they wanted to be full coalition partners of the DA in Tshwane and Johannesburg. We said that we would have to discuss that with our current coalition partners. We did that and the consensus between ourselves and the coalition partners is that a fully-fledged coalition with the EFF would not be practical or desirable,” explains DA Federal Council Chairperson James Selfe.
Malema says the DA’s refusal to accede to his party’s request to take over the mayoral position of the Tshwane Metro has lead to its decision to discontinue its cooperation with the DA.
Tshwane, which is under DA control, has been plagued by reports of financial scandals.
Malema says they have offered to provide proper governance of the country’s capital city.
Marriage of convenience
The two parties have been in an informal partnership in a number of metros including Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay since 2016.
It was a marriage of convenience aimed at keeping the ANC out of power. Now the union is in tatters, and it would seem relations have completely broken down.
The EEF’s withdrawing its support of the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay, led to the ousting of the party’s mayor.
With recent developments, metro politics are even more fluid. If the Tshwane Mayor is removed with a vote of no confidence and the council fails to elect a new mayor. An unprecedented snap election could even be on the cards.
