‘ANC stuck between rock and a hard place,’ says DA’s Msimanga
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng held a press conference on Tuesday evening after talks with ANC in the province collapsed.
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga says another issue affecting negotiations is that the ANC has many factions and partners to please, namely the party’s regions, Cosatu and the SA Communist Party.
“The ANC is stuck between a rock and a hard place,” says Msimanga.
Helen Zille says if Democratic Alliance leaders were irresponsible, they would collapse the deal in KwaZulu-Natal. But they do not want to hand the people of KZN over to Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and Julius Malema’s EFF. She says that would be a disaster for the province.
A DA, ANC and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) coalition is currently governing KwaZulu-Natal, with the IFP’s Thami Ntuil as premier of the province.
Msimanga runs through list of portfolios the DA had their eyes on.
“We don’t mind being in the opposition. It is our comfort zone,” says Zille.
Zille says they want their agreements with the ANC honoured and implemented.
Earlier on Tuesday, ANC Gauteng’s Lebogang Maile also reiterated their Monday utterances about occupying opposition benches in the provincial legislature.
Zille says there’s a similar issue bubbling in Parliament with the ANC concerning the allocations of portfolio committee chairs.
Two weeks ago, DA members of Parliament were instrumental in getting Cyril Ramaphosa elected as president of South Africa by the National Assembly
Helen Zille says they are prepared to collaborate in Gauteng with any political party that respects the Constitution
“The EFF is not one of those [parties],” says Zille.
In 2023, DA leader John Steenhuisen declared the Economic Freedom Fighters as the Blue Party’s “political enemy number one“.
And on election day this year, EFF leader labelled the DA as “small boys“.
Helen Zille says they have always believed the Inkatha Freedom Party would be included in the government of provincial unity in Gauteng.
“They helped us get a government in KwaZulu-Natal,” she tells the media.
“We remain open to engaging with the ANC,” says DA leader in Gauteng Solly Msimanga.
He also adds that if no solution is found, they will sit in the opposition benches in the Gauteng legislature.
“We have to get a fair share of government,” says Zille.
Remember, on Monday, Gauteng ANC secretary TK Nciza said they would not allow the Democratic Alliance to bully them in negotiations during the formation of the government of provincial unity.
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“We are not prepared to be co-opted by the ANC. They do not have a majority in Gauteng,” says Zille.
“The ANC wanted to give us three [Gauteng] Cabinet seats and we asked ‘what are you going to do with the rest?'” says Helen Zille.
Zille says they need to know which other parties would also get positions in Panyaza Lesufi’s executive council.
Helen Zille, chairperson of the Democratic Alliance’s federal council, says the DA and ANC in Gauteng “have not yet found each other”.
This comes after the DA earlier said the ANC had tried to force through an undesirable deal where the Blue Party would get only two Gauteng MEC positions in Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s provincial executive council.
And on Monday evening, 1 July, ANC Gauteng’s Lebogang Maile said the DA leaders were acting like “spoilt brats“.