The Future Of The DA Is In ANC’s Hands” Minister McKenzie Warns DA Of Shifting Coalition

According to Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie, the DA may have to rely on the ANC to stay in power in a number of Western Cape municipalities after the South African local government elections on November 4.

Because more political parties are willing to work with the ANC in coalition arrangements, the DA’s bargaining power has diminished, according to McKenzie, who thinks the political landscape has changed dramatically since the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2024.

The DA, according to McKenzie’s posts on X (formerly Twitter), had more leverage in negotiations in the past due to the fact that groups like the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) had rejected the idea of working with the African National Congress (ANC) in a coalition government.

He stated that the ANC now has more opportunities than ever before thanks to the shifting stances of these political groups, while the DA’s influence in possible coalition talks has been diminished.

With each negative statement made by the EFF and MK Party during the 2024 GNU-forming negotiations, the DA’s hand grew stronger, leaving the ANC completely vulnerable. “The sentiment of the GNU has changed dramatically,” McKenzie declared.

Noting that the EFF and MK Party had changed their stance from rejecting to considering joining a GNU, the PA leader said that this was contingent upon the exclusion of the DA and Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus).

In McKenzie’s view, this shift gives the ANC greater leverage in negotiations with smaller political parties and severely undermines the DA’s bargaining position.

While campaigning for office, he was also critical of the DA’s handling of smaller political groups, claiming that the party had turned off possible coalition partners.

McKenzie made a comparison to the ANC’s stance, stating that the ruling party has been more lenient toward smaller parties, even during campaign season.

The DA’s disastrous handling of coalition partners in the run-up to the election is identical to the ANC’s outstanding handling of the same issue. He made the claim that the DA was the only political party that attacked smaller parties during elections, while the ANC seldom did so.

Additionally, he asserted that the DA was facing increased difficulty in future coalition negotiations due to the negative attitudes that had developed within various political parties, including the FF Plus.

McKenzie used the DA’s struggles to retain political control in Langeberg and Oudtshoorn—two municipalities in the Western Cape—to illustrate the changing coalition environment.

Several municipalities, including George, Saldanha Bay, Matzikama, Stellenbosch, Swellendam, and the City of Cape Town, are set to hold elections on November 4, according to McKenzie’s prediction.

If the election results result in hung councils in some of these municipalities, he suggested that the ANC could become the party that helps the DA return to power.

In many of our provinces—George, Saldanha Bay, Matzikama, Stellenbosch, the Cape Town metro area, Swellendam, etc.—our DA will incur a majority loss. They can’t be re-elected by any other party but the ANC. Will the ANC come to their rescue? That is the million-dollar question, according to McKenzie.

In addition, he brought up Fikile Mbalula’s recent criticism of the DA, implying that both Mbalula and Panyaza Lesufi, the premier of Gauteng, were taking similar stances against the opposition party.

However, smaller political organisations, especially in big metropolitan areas, might be part of an ANC-led coalition, which the DA has been actively working to dispel.

Helen Zille, the party’s mightiest contender for Johannesburg mayor, has previously cautioned that backing smaller parties might allow the ANC to maintain its political clout through coalitions.

South Africans will go to the polls on November 4, and in municipalities where no party wins a clear majority, coalition talks will likely play a significant role in the upcoming political process.

According to McKenzie, smaller political parties are becoming increasingly important, and the support of these parties might decide which ones control city councils following the election.

After voters have cast their ballots, the final result will hinge on how political groups are prepared to negotiate agreements.

Source: https://x.com/ZANewsFlash/status/2116863797264629774

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