By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The DA has today filed a complaint with the Press Ombudsman following a Sunday Times article that appeared in the newspaper yesterday (Sunday 28 February).
DA leader John Steenhuisen told the Sunday Times this week that the DA is keen to work with “reformists” in the ANC – such as president Cyril Ramaphosa – to lift SA out of the doldrums.
However, he said the DA would not become involved in any political marriage that included Deputy President David Mabuza or ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Steenhuisen told the paper that:
- The DA would be open to going into a governing coalition with Ramaphosa and like-minded ANC leaders in 2024;
- His party regrets entering into coalitions with the EFF in Johannesburg and Tshwane;
- Former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba danced to the EFF’s tune in the country’s richest city; and
- The DA has identified 22 more municipalities around the country that it can win outright in the local government elections this year, or govern in a coalition.
Steenhuisen said that, given the infighting in the ANC, the DA is anticipating an eventual split in the governing party, which would allow for those who share the same values as the official opposition to come together.
“I believe there are reformers in the ANC who are pro the growth agenda, and I think there is potential for a realignment around the centre of South African politics, the rational centre of South African politics, which is where I think the DA should play,” he said.
Steenhuisen’s endorsement of Ramaphosa could have serious implications for the president in the ANC. Opponents could use it to weaken him ahead of the party’s national general council (NGC), possibly claiming that this bolsters accusations that Ramaphosa is a proxy of so-called white monopoly capital.
Steenhuisen’s stance marks a significant departure for the DA, which has long been opposed to any co-operation with the ANC.
He said the DA would not support any motion of no confidence in Ramaphosa, especially if it was sponsored by a faction of the ANC, the EFF or any other opposition party.
Meanwhile former DA leader Mmusi Maimane broke his silence yesterday after Steenhuisen told the Sunday Times Maimane was the reason the party did not win during 2019’s general elections.
Maimane yesterday replied: “Today the DA is saying they are open to coalition with some factions of the ANC as long as @CyrilRamaphosa is the president. They are officially out of opposition and are themselves a faction of the ANC. It’s an admission of defeat. A recognition that they can’t grow …”