WATCH: Maimane explains what he’d say if Ramaphosa hadn’t ‘chickened out’

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane again accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of being a “chicken” for refusing to accept an invitation to a televised debate between the two of them.

In a video posted on his official Twitter account, the DA leader goes into what he would have debated with the president if he’d agreed to face off on SABC2’s The Big Debate.

Tonight was an important night. It was the night I was scheduled to debate President @CyrilRamaphosa on #TheBigDebate before he chickened out. pic.twitter.com/U98QOWFs7B

— Mmusi Maimane (@MmusiMaimane) April 28, 2019

“Tonight was an important opportunity for all of us as South Africans,” Maimane said of the proposed “debate between myself and President Ramaphosa”.

“It’s always important to contest for ideas when we go to elections and not go and express our race,” Maimane continued.

It is unclear what he is referring to, as no race-based statements by Ramaphosa ahead of the May 8 elections could be found, although ANC secretary general Ace Magashule did tell supporters on the campaign trail not to vote for “umlungu”.

His words were slammed by a group of ANC veterans.

“Elections should never be about a choice between black people and white people, it should be a choice of ideas and ideals,” Maimane said.

READ MORE: SABC denies Maimane’s claimed debate

“It should be a choice as to whether the government puts up ideas that they have done in the past,” he added, saying “ultimately it should always be a referendum about the future of the country”.

“What I would have really wanted to speak to president Ramaphosa about is that the biggest challenge that South Africa needs is that we need reform,” Maimane said.

He appeared to frame the debate as being between the DA, which he says supports the “rights of individuals”, and what he described as the “socialist/leftist” ANC.

Ramaphosa, who before reentering politics became a successful businessman, described himself in the Mail & Guardian as “a capitalist with a socialist instinct”.

According to Wikipedia, his net worth was R6.4 billion as of 2018, “with 31 properties and previously-held notable ownership in companies such as McDonald’s South Africa, chair of the board for MTN and member of the board for Lonmin”.

READ MORE: DA says Ramaphosa is ‘running scared’ from debate with Maimane

Wikipedia describes the ANC as proponents of “social democracy” rather than socialism, but the party has upheld a strategic alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and the South African Communist Party (SACP) since 1990.

“We need reform of our politics. We need to make sure that we have a political dynamism that says we are free from the shackles of our past and can build a political party that will say we stand for the rights of individuals, we believe that markets ought to be at the centre of it and we believe that actually, citizens need to be able to directly elect their people as an example,” Maimane said.

“Whereas the president must be able to defend his party as a socialist/leftist organisation, an organisation which believes that the state must be at the centre of it all,” he continued.

“I would have wanted him to debate our economy, we need to reform our economy, we need to make sure we put a job in every home, and by doing that I always make it clear that we want to stimulate micro-enterprise. We want to make sure that of the 41% of the households without an income, that we can get someone from that home at least working.

“I’d want more people to work out of homes but ultimately let’s start with one because when there is income in the house there’s at least a place where people can eat, there’s food on the table, there is a place where we can find healthcare, we can ultimately  put kids to school. That’s crucial,” Maimane concluded.

READ MORE: Maimane labels Ramaphosa a chicken

Maimane first accused Ramaphosa of having “chickened out” in a tweet on April 17, complete with a picture of a box of Knorrox chicken stock.

The DA appeared to believe a debate between the two leaders was a done deal, sending out a press statement proclaiming their excitement over it and stating that it would air towards the end of April.

But both Redi Tlhabi, who hosts The Big Debate, and the SABC denied that the debate had been set.

“The SABC would like to put on record that it has no plans to host a debate between ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa and DA leader Mmusi Maimane. As such, there has been no communication shared with the public regarding the matter. The public broadcaster wants to state as fact that one of its elections productions, The Big Debate has approached leaders of political parties to participate in a debate scheduled for its final episode ahead of the May 8 elections. Plans for the proposed debate are still underway,” the public broadcaster said in a statement.

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