Absolutely not, says DA’s Zille about cosying up to ANC

Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal chair Helen Zille said the DA will not get into bed with the ANC, despite the rumour suggesting the faltering ANC-EFF liaison opens the door to a different relationship reality between South Africa’s two biggest parties.

“Absolutely not,” was Zille’s response to any notion that a coalition, or even a voting bloc in struggling councils like Ekurhuleni, would settle the two parties’ side by side.

Rumour has it that the DA and the ANC will vote together on pertinent issues and form a loose alliance in Ekurhuleni after ridding council of its second mayor in as many years, Sivuyile Ngodwana of the African Independent Party.

As in Joburg, the ANC-EFF pairing has caused substantial instability in two of the most important economic centres in the country.

Earlier this year, Mpho Phalatse was ousted as the DA-led coalition’s Johannesburg mayor and Tania Campbell lost her Ekurhuleni mayoral chain twice.

ANC caucus leader in Ekurhuleni and chief whip in council Jongizizwe Dlabathi also dismissed the rumour.

He said that he was not aware of any formal or informal discussions that were taking place between the ANC and the DA in this regard.

“However, we have said before that we will work with any party to return municipalities to stability,” he added.