After about 27 years of democracy and single party dominance, opposition parties believe they have finally found an antidote to the governing ANC’s long-standing rule.
As leader of the opposition benches, the DA successfully brought together six diverse political parties under the Multi-Party Charter umbrella in August.
On board are ActionSA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, United Independent Movement, Spectrum National Party, and the Independent South African National Civic Organisation.
The parties’ sole mission is to use their respective electoral reach as a collective muscle to eat into the ANC’s support in 2024 general elections.
However, the alliance has experienced internal conflicts in recent weeks, raising concerns about its cohesion and efficacy.
At the heart of the conflict is ActionSA leader and former Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba’s recent motion of no confidence against the current city mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda.
Mashaba fingers Gwamanada, an ANC-led coalition product, as incompetent.
But to his shock, the DA refused to come to the party. Instead, the blue party urged Mashaba to drop the charade.
They commanded him to wait, saying the right time would be when the entire council could legally be dissolved rather than just the mayor.
ActionSA reluctantly caved in, but not without displeasure. He had no choice, however, given the DA’s position as charter leader. Mashaba did not have much space to maneuver.
But things quickly soured again.
The DA, without notice, voted in favour of the ANC-led government’s proposal for a salary increase for councillors.
In retaliation, Mashaba blamed the blues for keeping the ANC in power. He accused the charter partners of enabling the ANC-led coalition government in Joburg.
This incident further exposed the divisions within the Multiparty Charter and highlighted a lack of communication and consensus-building among its members.
Speaking to Sunday World recently, Mashaba did not mince words in his critique of the DA.
He described the party as “the most unreliable and dishonest people” and expressed his disappointment at its actions.
“They came up with excuses for dissolution, which is why we ended up cancelling the motion.”
He continued: “I actually addressed our caucus myself, and I told them there was no point in embarrassing ourselves. We do not have much support”.
He said the Patriotic Alliance was willing to support his party on condition that the DA vote with ActionSA.
“But with the DA not supporting us, that means we will never have a majority. So, let’s just withdraw the motion. We have nothing to lose,” said Mashaba.
“We were shocked when they voted with the ANC at a time when all municipalities, including Johannesburg, are going through a very difficult time.”
According to its declaration, the Multi-Party Charter was established to unseat the ANC, keep out the EFF, and usher in a multi-party government.
However, the recent internal disputes and conflicting actions suggest that the Multi-Party Charter is facing challenges in maintaining cohesion among its member parties.
As the 2024 national and provincial elections draw closer, these internal struggles may impact the alliance’s ability to provide a viable alternative to the ANC.
Mashaba acknowledged that forming and maintaining coalitions can be difficult and full of disagreements. He stated, however, that disagreements are not grounds for abandoning the mission.
“We are not expecting it to be a bed of roses, it will be difficult like any other coalition arrangement in the country”.
But we will keep trying; we cannot give up on our country, he said.
While critical of the DA, he suggested that the ANC was even worse. He described the ANC as a “criminal enterprise” and stated that he would not align with them.
“But the DA is not steering any ship, that is why we buried what they used to call a Moonshot-whatever-Pact,” said Mashaba.
His talks with the DA started last year. On the table was a plan to look at the broader principles of a coalition.
“And they were refusing, and suddenly surprised us by coming up with what they called the Moonshot Pact.”
He said no one is under the DA’s spell, adding that “they are the most unreliable and dishonest people I have ever come across.”
“The difference with the ANC, as far as I am concerned, is that they are a criminal enterprise. I will not get involved with criminals.”
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