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‘We won’t legitimise ANC-sponsored coalition bill,’ say parties ahead of convention
Some parties were shocked to learn that government has already started drafting legislation on coalitions.
DA leader John Steenhuisen in Newtown, Johannesburg, on 23 October 2021. Picture: Jacques Nelles
The Democratic Alliance (DA) and its potential coalition partners say they will not entertain government’s bill on coalitions as parties prepare to meet next week to discuss the “moonshot pact”.
The DA is set to host a national convention at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park between 16 and 17 August, with six other political parties expected to attend the event. The convention will discuss a coalition agreement ahead of next year’s general elections.
It comes two weeks before government’s national dialogue on coalitions led by ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
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The national dialogue, which was held at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) over the past weekend, saw smaller opposition parties gun for the DA and African National Congress (ANC) over their support for electoral thresholds when forming coalition governments.
Political parties were also shocked to learn that government has already started drafting legislation to govern coalitions.
This was revealed by Cooperative Governance Deputy Minister Parks Tau, who told the attendees that the bill had not been served before Cabinet, but is expected to be finalised by the end of this year.
The proposed legislation has since worried other parties.
‘Pre-conceived outcome’
In a joint statement, the DA, ActionSA and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) among other parties, confirmed they would considered the engagements arising from the national dialogue when they meet next week.
“There are a number of points arising from the discussions which we believe to be sensible approaches to improving the stability and performance of coalition governments. However, there are also elements of the discussion that produce concerns around which we will need to engage further,” the parties said on Monday.
The parties said the fact that a draft bill has already been produced by government was most concerning. They also said they would not support the proposed legislation.
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“This group of parties will not legitimise a pre-conceived outcome, drafted by ANC aligned officials, for the last days of ANC majority in parliament to protect its interests in future coalitions. For this reason, the parties in this group will consider the matters arising from the national dialogue and will place them on our agenda for further engagement at our national convention,” the parties said.
“South Africans need a viable alternative that can both achieve a majority in an election and produce stable and effective coalition governance after the 2024 elections.”
Coalition have generated a great deal of debate ahead of the 2024 elections, with the ANC projected to lose their majority in government.
However, questions have been raised as to whether political parties will be able to find each other in terms of policy after the elections.
‘Doomsday coalition’
Last week, DA leader John Steenhuisen rejected the possibility of his party and ANC joining forces to establish a coalition and co-govern South Africa.
He labelled the claims as “absolute nonsense”, saying the DA is not interested.
DA federal chair Helen Zille also dismissed claims that her party will get into bed with the ANC.
Following his re-election in April, Steenhuisen vowed to prevent an ANC and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) “doomsday coalition” from taking power.
He proposed a “moonshot pact” with smaller parties.
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