The ANC and DA are moving to enact legislation that favours big parties to lead coalition governments at the expense of small parties.
This through a maneuver they have tabled at the National Dialogue on Coalitions led by the Presidency in Cape Town this weekend.
The two biggest parties in the country further want a threshold on who can take part in a coalition government or who should not based on votes received.
But the small parties have in majority rejected the proposals that they see as a scam to silence the voice that represent minorities.
The Freedom Front Plus warned against the move while GOOD Party and African Transformation Movement (ATM) rejected. The EFF stayed away from the dialogue.
“The party that has won the largest votes should lead the coalition in that municipality and executive positions should be allocated in proportion to the votes obtained by coalition partners,” said ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula when introducing the idea.
“A threshold should be introduced so that there is a degree of legitimacy with regard to what amount of electoral support qualifies a party or candidate to be part of councils and coalition governments.”
DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube concurred, much to a pushback by smaller parties.
ATM president Vuyo Zungula said the DA and ANC were taking everyone for a ride because they had already agreed on a grand coalition for themselves post the 2024 national and provincial elections.
GOOD party boss Patricia de Lille said smaller parties must not subject themselves to being bullied by the ANC and DA.
“You are forced to form a coalition when no party received 50% plus one of the vote because the legislation requires that you must govern and pass budget with a majority,” said De Lille.
“For the most part, coalitions work when there is maturity and trust. Arrogance, hypocrisy, [and] baaskap mentality of some political parties is the greatest threat to stable coalitions.
“We will never allow any of the old parties to bully us into accepting thresholds.”
Zungula hammered the final nail in the ANC and DA coffin: “The truth is that the so-called bigger parties have already concluded on a grand coalition for 2024 and want us to legitimize a process which is meant to pave the way for that national grand coalition next year.
“This process is crafted to legitimize a plan to form a government by the two biggest parties next year, even though they do not agree on many policies, which is going to be a recipe for disaster for the average South African.”
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