EFF looks forward to coalitions for 2019 polls
THE EFF will not play the kingmaker role after 2019 national elections but intends to enter into coalitions where it will govern.
EFF leader Julius Malema said his party would be partners and “significant players” going forward.
“Every coalition we form in 2019 is not the things we have done here [in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay]; we are going to participate directly in it, we are going to take departments because the good thing about provincial government is that once you are allocated departments with clearly defined coalition terms, you say to the DA: ‘you are running your own thing, we are running our own thing, you are not going to interfere in our departments and that’s it’,” he said.
Malema said while premiers would be selected from the dominant parties, his party would serve in cabinet but would not be told how to run these departments.
“We will do that through acceptable laws of this country and we will be compliant with whatever regulations are there.”
While critics predict that the EFF is unlikely to reach beyond the 10% mark in the upcoming election, Malema said the fact that the party’s support base eats directly from that of the ANC meant that the governing party would be weaker in the coming polls.
Malema predicted that the ANC conference in December would weaken and hasten the disintegration of the party, ushering in greater opportunities for opposition parties to take control of key provinces.
Gauteng – which contributes the largest chunk of the country’s gross domestic product, at 33% – was the most vulnerable with two of its largest cities – Johannesburg and Tshwane – and two local municipalities – Midvaal and Mogale City – already under opposition control.
Malema was clear that Zuma was a stumbling block for it when negotiating anything with the ANC.
“We will remember that [the ANC] didn’t remove Zuma at the time it was supposed to do so,” he said.
Independent political analyst Aubrey Matshiqi agreed that an era of coalition politics was upon SA: “There was a strong possibility the ANC would lose Gauteng in 2019 – with no political party winning outright – opening the way for either preelection pacts or coalition agreemenst,” said Matshiqi.