‘I don’t care what Zille said’ – Some municipal councillors defying DA’s decree against EFF

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has insisted it will never work with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and leader John Steenhuisen and federal chair Helen Zille continually reprise this mantra.

Zille said in a radio interview in October that the DA will not do deals with the EFF. Richard Newton, national spokesperson for the DA, reiterated the party’s position.

DA does not believe in coalitions

He said: “The DA has made its position very clear. We will not work with the EFF. We do not believe in coalitions at any cost.”

And while Malema and company are not a bedmate of choice for DA party leadership, some municipal councillors seem comfortable with a roll in the hay with the red berets every now and then.

The party’s executive leadership may not be happy to learn about some horse-trading with the EFF in municipalities.

Tshwane Mayor invited EFF to meeting

Saturday Citizen has seen part of a WhatsApp exchange between the Tshwane mayor’s office and EFF caucus leader in the city Obakeng Ramabodu, in which the mayor invited the EFF to a meeting to solicit their support for the controversial Kratos power proposal after some coalition members indicated refusal to support it.

R48 billion deal

Earlier this year, Australian energy company Kratos approached the DA-led Tshwane metro with an unsolicited proposal to refurbish and then operate two defunct substations. The price tag was about R48 billion.

ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont said that the party had opposed the notion at the time and still refused to support it.

In his enthusiasm for the project, Tshwane mayor, the DA’s Randall Williams, turned to the EFF. This was in defiance of the coalition agreement between the parties governing the city together.

Beaumont said: “The question of mayor Williams’ alleged breaches of the coalition agreement in Tshwane will go before the national coalition oversight group meeting on Saturday.

“ActionSA would not wish to comment further until this matter has been ventilated there.”

Campbell was also part of coalition meeting

Ousted Ekurhuleni DA mayor Tania Campbell was also named in an 18 January meeting of coalition members this year. It was about getting the city’s budget vote passed.

The record of the meeting quoted Campbell: “I also know that the ANC is going to vote against the budget. We need to look at the bigger picture, specifically toward the budget. We therefore need to pull the EFF on to these panels or else we will have major problems…”

She was apparently referring to recruitment panels for the appointment of a new city manager for Ekurhuleni.

Campbell suggested that the budget would pass if they cosied up to the EFF that way. She said: “I am of the opinion that for us to get a city manager that suits the coalition we need to pull the EFF on to the panel and thereby pass the budget.”

While out of office, Johannesburg mayor Mpho Phalatse also tried to get agreement from the DA’s executive, even if just to contemplate that possibly engaging the EFF on some matters might have a positive outcome for residents. Zille and company wouldn’t hear of it.

Two weeks later, Phalatse now toes the party line.

She said: “The DA has considered the matter of bringing stability to our governments and holds the view that parties that broadly share the same values should stand in agreement to defeat a coalition of corruption.”

She would not answer why she initially might have thought there was value in working with the EFF, ergo her proposal two weeks ago.

It might all be a case of pot-kettle-black though.

DA asked ActionSA to get information on EFF’s stance

ActionSA’s Beaumont published a WhatsApp between Zille and Herman Mashaba from January in which the DA asked ActionSA to approach the EFF and determine whether or not they would be voting for DA candidates for various positions in Joburg.

Zille wanted to know what the quid pro quos might be. In other words, the opportunity cost to make a deal with the EFF.

Newton did not directly answer any further questions relating to Zille’s WhatsApp or the minutes of the Ekurhuleni coalition meeting. Instead, he stood by his response.

But it seems the DA’s public relations message against working with the EFF is shooting the DA in the foot. They are making deals. Decrees by Zille or not.

A senior DA public representative said: “I do not care what Helen [Zille] said, we are always negotiating with one another [political parties] and that is just the nature of the beast. If we cannot negotiate, how do we come to solutions for South Africa? Certainly not by isolating ourselves.”

The DA representative suggested that at times, in the DA, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

– news@citizen.co.za

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