By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has rejected the former City of Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse proposal to work with the EFF to unseat the ANC-led coalition in the city.
Phalatse made proposal to the DA during a federal executive meeting this week.
She said the EFF was open to work with the party in order to reclaim the metropolitan municipality, however, in exchange for a single committee chairperson position.
DA federal council chair Helen Zille rejected the proposal, insisting that the party cannot work with the EFF due to its views on white people.
“We cannot govern with a party who applauds when their leader calls on his followers to murder people on the basis of their race,” she told Sunday Times.
Zille explained that the DA did not intend to work with the EFF and already have an agreement in place with the ANC, which is now in control of the City of Joburg following Dada Morero’s election as mayor.
“They just wanted to get us caught in a trap, and we nimbly sidestepped it. We cannot allow ourselves to be trapped by a party that threatens to murder whites,” the DA federal chair added.
She further said: “Once you enable the EFF to start the politics of extortion (we will do x for you if you support us with y), it is just the start of a slippery slope of increasing extortion.”
Meanwhile, Phalatse said that she tabled the proposal because she believed that “it is in the best interest of residents to have a government that includes the DA”.
“I am of the view that the residents need a coalition of hope rather than an ANC-led coalition of corruption,” she said.
On Wednesday, the Johannesburg High Court reserved its judgement on Phalatse’s application challenging her removal.
Phalatse was ousted through a motion of no confidence vote on 30 September, after her urgent interdict to stop the council meeting was struck off the court roll on the same day.