DA has learned its lesson, ‘done with the EFF’ – Steenhuisen

Tt the mere mention of any possible coalition or deal between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in future elections, DA leader John Steenhuisen’s answer was simple: “Never, never, never, never!”

He said under his leadership, the DA was open to any coalition with various political party parties as long as that partnership
made political sense – but not the EFF.

He rejected any suggestion that the DA was amenable to enter into deals or a coalition with the EFF in Tshwane and even to hand over the metro – the country’s capital and host to the seat of government – to the EFF in exchange for a coalition in the City of Joburg and Nelson Mandela Bay metros.

EFF leader Julius Malema has publicly stated his wish for the DA to let the Red Berets govern Tshwane, including taking mayorship.

In return, they would cooperate with the DA to enable it lead coalitions in Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay.

But Steenhuisen, in an interview with The Citizen while on a by-election campaign in Ekurhuleni, dismissed the idea of joining forces with the EFF as nonsense.

“The Tshwane voters gave us the majority of the votes there. We are the largest party in Tshwane, we should be allowed to form a government, which is what we are doing. I think we learned an important lesson in what happened in Joburg.”

He said in Lenasia a DA councillor decided to side with the EFF to support land invasion on which the then DA-EFF coalition council took no action. The residents were angry and showed that in the recent by-election.

“The people were rightly angry about it and they sent a clear message,” he said.

Steenhuisen said the DA had to “work with parties that share our values and principles that are working to unite South Africans not divide them”.

He added: “The EFF has shown through their behaviour that they are a party that wants to divide South Africans, they want to
cause violence and even threatening institutions like the Saps … That’s not the behaviour of a party that we can do business with in government.”

However, the DA was prepared to go into coalitions but those must have clear goals and objectives, ground rules – including no
interference in tenders – and municipal appointments.

“Otherwise its better for us to go into opposition and be an excellent opposition, than get into government and be a compromised government that actually cannot govern with its own values and principles.”

He did not dismiss the possibility of working with the ANC, as long as the DA values and principles were respected. But the
endemic corruption in the ruling party stood in the way of this.

Steenhuisen said all cooperation with the governing party would depend on circumstances but as long as the party had leaders like ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, MP Bongani Bongo and former president Jacob Zuma, it would be difficult for the DA to work with it.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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