Coalitions ‘will be a disaster’

Ramaphosa calls on supporters to campaign vigorously for outright victory

● President Cyril Ramaphosa says coalition governments “don’t work” and if South Africa entered into coalition agreements at provincial and national level, it would be a “total disaster”.

Speaking at the ANC’s 112th birthday celebrations in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, yesterday, Ramaphosa urged supporters to campaign for an outright victory, to prevent “instability and chaos”.

“These coalitions have led to service delivery weaknesses where development suffers and, in a number of cases, grinds to a halt. Replicating this bitter experience of total chaos, instability and dysfunctionality at national and provincial levels will be a total disaster that our country cannot afford,” he said.

Last week, ANC national executive committee (NEC) member David Makhura said the party would announce at the end of January which coalition partnerships it would remain in or pull out of after a national review of its pacts.

The ANC is facing internal pressure to pull out of coalition arrangements with the EFF, especially in Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

Ramaphosa said: “The frustrating experience that we have had with dysfunctional coalition governments has shown that these coalitions really don’t work for our people, but they work for those political dealmakers and those who are intent on advancing their own personal interests.”

This is not the direction the party wanted to take, he said.

“If you have a coalition you are patching things that cannot be patched, so all the ANC needs is an outright victory, and that is why we must go all out and work for an outright victory. We must embark on a campaign led by the ANC, working with our alliance, that will ensure that we win outright.

“We call on our members and supporters to go all out to campaign vigorously for an outright victory. I will also be out there together with members of the NEC in your provinces, rural areas, the streets of our townships, and I will work with you to attain this victory.”

The ANC is divided on which party it should go into coalition with if it dips below 50% at the polls.

The ANC Veterans League is in a favour of a coalition with the official opposition, the DA. However, this would not be possible if the DA-led multiparty charter of opposition parties was able to form a government.

Others want the ANC to pull together smaller parties such as the Patriotic Alliance, the Good party, Al Jama-ah and others. Some want a coalition with the EFF.

But during campaigning ANC leaders have insisted that the party is aiming for an outright majority.

Ramaphosa hit back at critics who said the party would not get a majority at the polls. “Some are saying that we are going to get less than 50% and others are saying that we are not even going to get 30%. That is what is being said by people who don’t even know us, the ANC.

“We are saying bring it on, we will be waiting for you and we want to go to the elections so that we can separate those who are able to govern this country and those who won’t because they think that it’s easy. They must just try.”

Ramaphosa said the ANC was ready to launch a formidable campaign and, despite the challenges plaguing the party, the ANC remained the party of choice.

“No [other] party has both a clear vision for a better and more equal society, and the capability to achieve it.”

He told ANC members that the party would launch its election manifesto at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban next month in which it would detail the party’s vision and programme for the country for the next five years.

“The immediate task of all members and supporters of the ANC, our alliance partners, the mass democratic movement and progressive civil society is to mobilise all South Africans, especially the youth, to register to vote so they can exercise their hard-won right to shape the future of our country.”

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) will hold the next voter registration weekend on February 3 and 4.

These coalitions have led to service delivery weaknesses where development suffers

Cyril Ramaphosa