ANC head of elections and Minister of transport, Fikile Mbalula at the IEC ROC in Pretoria on 2 November 2021. Picture: Jacques Nelles
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema’s comments about keeping the ANC in power beyond the 2024 national elections has rubbed the opposition the wrong way.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has asked Malema to pick a side and decide whether the EFF wants to form part of a multi-party coalition that could unseat the ANC in 2024 or help the governing party stay in power.
This week, Malema told News24 that the Red Berets was open to entering into a coalition agreement with the ANC if only the party’s treasurer-general, Paul Mashatile was to emerge as president.
He also said the EFF was opposed to working with the DA because the Red Berets does not want the party’s leader John Steenhuisen as South Africa’s next president.
Reacting to Malema’s comments, Steenhuisen said he was of the view that EFF voters would not be happy if the Red Berets backed the ANC.
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“In councils they must make a choice: are they going to work with the ANC to bring that corrupt and failing party led by somebody who was on the other side of the Marikana dispute back into power or are they going to work with the opposition to unseat the ANC and usher in a new era of accountable and pro-poor government?” Steenhuisen told Sunday Times.
“I do not think their voters and supporters would like to see them breathing life into the ANC corpse, but would rather see them on the side of good governance that will liberate more people from poverty and grow more opportunity through governments that are caring, responsive and focused on delivery to the people,” he added.
Other political parties – including ActionSA – shared the same view as Steenhuisen, while United Democratic Movement (UDM) president Bantu Holomisa noted the current climate of the multi-party coalition governments in the City of Tshwane and Johannesburg.
“The other problem of coalitions is the big parties wanting to bully the small parties. They behave like they are in the majority yet they cannot take any decision without the so-called small parties they are in coalition with,” he said.
READ MORE: EFF, ANC members to face music for brawl in Joburg council
The DA and ActionSA have been at loggerheads recently after allegations of impropriety emerged against Tshwane mayor Randall Williams following a leaked audio clip, while ANC has since confirmed that it will table a motion of no confidence against Williams.
In addition, Steenhuisen’s party earlier this month also laid charges of intimidation and assault against EFF after a brawl during the City of Joburg’s council meeting, which ended up being suspended.
Meanwhile, ANC’s head of elections, Fikile Mbalula has dismissed the EFF’s advance, saying the governing party was aiming for an outright win in the 2024 elections.
Mbalula told Sunday Times the ANC believed that “coalitions will not work for the total liberation of our people”.
“[Coalitions] are not in our favour, they are in favour of the small political parties and the main opposition in this country.
READ MORE: 2024 Elections: ‘End is nigh’ for ANC
“Those are the people who are yearning for coalitions and they have duped everybody to believe in that coalitions are the way to go,” he said.
The Transport Minister said the ANC was confident of getting a “decisive majority” in the elections, however, the party needed to “correct a few things”.
“We will come back strong in 2024 and if we live true to the renewal perspective we are espousing and sit on it and repeat it over and over again we will be home and dry and victorious,” Mbalula said.
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