Coalition likely after 2019
Forget the fanfare around the ANC elective conference, a coalition government is the most likely scenario to play out after the 2019 general election, said a grouping led by the Democratic Alliance (DA) yesterday.
This was despite several signs of tension between the DA and the United Democratic Front (UDM) after Nelson Mandela Bay’s deputy mayor, Mongameli Bobani, was axed after the DA took him to task for going against its coalition policy not to use blue-light vehicles on official business.
Yesterday, the leaders of the DA, Freedom Front Plus (FF+), the African Christian Democratic Party (ADCP) and Congress of the People (Cope) gave a joint press briefing on their progress as a coalition governing the major metros, in the absence of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), as well as the UDM. Both parties were said to have made their apologies, having had other matters to attend to.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said coalition politics were more representative of the diverse needs of the country than the dynamics of one majority party.
“What is crucial is the fact that many people have looked at what is happening at Nasrec and assumed that that is an election of a government. It’s only an election for the leadership of the ANC,” he said.
Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota said the apparent disintegration of the ANC’s tripartite alliance was a sign that more diversity would arise in the lead-up to the 2019 election.
“It is quite clear at this stage that, especially as the tripartite alliance has begun to break apart in many critical areas, the surge for the road to a South Africa that will provide a better life for all is in full swing. We are quite confident there will be increasing numbers of formations coming into the coalition arrangement that we initiated after the local government elections,” said Lekota.
ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe added that a coalition, as demonstrated in the progress of the coalition led metros, meant more accountability.
“We believe as different political parties that multi-party governance is the way to go. There are more checks and balances,” he said.