Picture: Gallo Images/Ziyaad Douglas
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the ANC may be ideologically separated, but the two parties share a common feature – living in the politics of cloud cuckoo land.
Against a background of bruising local government polls in which both lost a sizable chunk of votes to smaller opposition parties and huge voter apathy, DA and ANC leaders remained bullish in the face the losses.
On Monday , DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia said on Twitter: “After dealing with the departure of the 3Ms – Mmusi, Mashaba and Moodey – no loss there, we have ticked upwards (as measured by the LGE 2021) having consolidated and enunciated unambiguously our principles, policies and values.
“That’s where we’re at, in case you were wondering.”
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Cachalia’s message followed that made earlier by acting ANC secretary-general Jessie Duarte to journalists at the Electoral Commission of South Africa’s national results centre.
“We are not a loser here, as far as I’m concerned. We are a winning party on the (IEC) board, just that our numbers have gone down. We’ve given you an objective view – reasons why that does not make you a loser – making you a pragmatic party that understands why it is where it is.
“We also do not disrespect the electorate – they have spoken by putting us in the position they have put us. We are not uncomfortable with that position.”
But Global Dialogue political analyst Sanusha Naidu described the stance of both the DA and the ANC as “pure denialism”.
“Both parties are trying to demonstrate that they have not been heavily bruised.
“The DA was coming to terms with its denial that Herman Mashaba and Mmusi Maimane leaving the party had no impact on them, when it did,” she said.
Mmusi’s One South Africa movement of independents and Mashaba’s ActionSA did well.
“These are flippant arrogant comments.”