Is the ANC scared of the new opposition grouping?

Is the ANC running scared at the chance of being ousted from power by the newly formed Multi-Party Charter for South Africa (MPCSA)?

Or is it merely playing politics by attacking the new grouping?

Political analysts believe it could be a bit of both.

As several opposition parties met over two days in Kempton Park, Ekurhuleni last week to construct the MPCSA ahead of the critical 2024 national elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa and Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi dismissed the multi-party agreement. Ramaphosa labelled it as a “sideshow” and Lesufi called them a “gang of losers”.

The Multi-Party Charter, a coalition of seven opposition parties, aims to challenge the ANC’s dominance in the forthcoming elections.

During their convention, the coalition members outlined a set of policy agreements which demonstrate a shared vision for governance.

Ramaphosa said they would never remove the ANC from power.

“The gathering of parties that want to unseat the ANC is a sideshow to us. They will never amass the support the ANC has,” he said.

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No teamwork

Lesufi stated that the upcoming elections should focus on individual parties’ merits rather than a “collective gang”.

“Each organisation must stand on its own and explain what they offer to voters,” Lesufi said.

Political analyst Dr Levy Ndou said the remarks made by Ramaphosa and Lesufi were very much expected and part of the political game.

While the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Patriotic Alliance (PA) were absent from the two-day MPCSA meeting, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said the convention had been a resounding success and called on South Africans to judge it by whether or not it provided solutions to their problems.

Ndou said it was important to note that the DA got what it envisaged.

“More importantly, the Multi-Party Charter of South Africa was signed. That is a victory.”

lungas@citizen.co.za/additional reporting by Getrude Makhafola

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