‘DA co-governing doomed to failure,’ says ActionSA

ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont says coalitions lead by the Democratic Alliance (DA) will fail because of its “immaturity” in running this model of governance.

Beaumont’s comments follow its coalition partner, the DA, losing the mayorship last week and that of speaker in the Johannesburg council before that. Beaumont said there was no question his party has to review its perspective on coalitions.

“It has become very clear to us that multiparty coalitions led by the DA will fail because the DA lacks the maturity to co-govern with their coalition partners.

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“They rather treat coalition partners as those who give them local govt the majority. They need to govern by themselves,” he said.

“We will undergo a comprehensive review on our position on coalitions.” He said multiparty coalition had lost power and completely collapsed in Johannesburg.

“The ANC is now back in office, which we regard as a tragedy for the residents of Johannesburg. The coalition led by the DA has demonstrated how coalitions should not be run.”

ActionSA did not appear in council for Friday’s critical vote which saw Joburg’s former mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse voted out.

Beaumont said the party did not attend the council sitting because of the urgent court application the DA had filed at the High Court in Johannesburg to declare Friday’s council sitting as illegal.

“We hold the view that the meeting was illegal and therefore we could not be part of an illegal meeting.”

The case was struck from the urgent roll. Newly elected Joburg mayor Dada Morero did not want to give away who would be part of his mayoral committee, but confirmed that his MMCs would include those who helped the party.

“We will announce by Friday morning. We are happy with our coalition partners.”

Morero also did not confirm if they would retain some of the MMCs who had been working with the previous administration.

 “We do not know until we have had the discussion on Wednesday.” DA leader John Steenhuisen said it all started “with an unprovoked motion of no confidence against our speaker, Vasco da Gama”.

“In terms of the signed coalition agreement with all our coalition partners, this position must be filled in Johannesburg by the DA,” Steenhuisen said.

“But due to the treachery of individual members of coalition partners, Vasco was voted out.”

Steenhuisen said ActionSA had suggested that the DA relinquish the negotiated position speaker and hand it to the Inkatha Freedom Party.

“This went against the signed and agreed coalition compact, and the DA drew the line.

 “A deal is a deal. If we revise it, this must occur in terms of the procedures laid down in the coalition agreement itself,” Steenhuisen said.

 “We are further disappointed ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba has chosen to consistently attack the DA, rather than call out the ANC for their desperate efforts to destabilise opposition coalitions across the country.”

Beaumont said when faced with motions of no confidence against the mayors and speakers of Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, the party would respond as the coalition agreements required them to do.

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