Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has refuted claims made by smaller political parties that the ANC (African National Congress) and DA (Democratic Alliance) had a secret deal regarding coalitions.
According to IOL, the issue arose after both parties proposed changes to the law that the smaller parties believed would exclude them from democratic processes and hinder their chances of being elected.
One of the contentious issues was the 1% threshold for parties to obtain a seat in the council or national legislature, which was supported by the ANC and DA but opposed by smaller parties like the NFP, UDM, and the GOOD party.
The African Transformation Movement walked out of the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments. The party says the ANC and the DA are sidelining the so-called smaller parties. ATM leader, Vuyo Zungula has more.
Watch: https://t.co/sv8neVP3y7#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/i76SNlq5Fr
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 4, 2023
Mashatile, however, dismissed the notion of a hidden deal and said that the purpose of the national dialogue on coalitions was to bring all parties together to reach an agreement on the best approach to coalitions, aiming to avoid unstable governments as witnessed in some municipalities.
He said that coalitions had been a part of South Africa’s political landscape since 1994 when the ANC, IFP, and National Party formed the Government of National Unity.
“We have agreed that this issue about coalitions is something that is with us. It needs to be discussed and we must learn from those who have walked this road before us.
[WATCH] “The ATM walked out , they made allegations that the ANC and the DA have agreed on some kind of grand coalition, which is not the case. The EFF did not come,”- Deputy President Paul Mashatile wrapping up the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments conference. pic.twitter.com/WjnYH25Tjm
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 5, 2023
“We must be prepared to learn from others, but we must also learn from our own experiences. I was sitting with some of the colleagues, and we were saying at the beginning of this democracy, right from 1994, the founding fathers of this nation engaged with other parties.
“I recall very well that there was a time we worked with the National Party and you will recall the Government of National Unity. It was not national, even in provinces. I am sure honourable (Amos) Masondo will recall when I was still in Gauteng, we sat in the Executive with the National Party.
“This thing of working with others is not a new thing. It happened in KZN, the IFP and the ANC worked together in the government of provincial unity,” said Mashatile.
The African Transformation Movement walked out of the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments. The party says the ANC and the DA are sidelining the so-called smaller parties. ATM leader, Vuyo Zungula has more.
Watch: https://t.co/sv8neVP3y7#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/i76SNlq5Fr
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 4, 2023
Meanwhile, the DA has reportedly accused the ANC of attempting to “hijack” the National Dialogue on Coalition Governments in Cape Town.
According to EWN, DA chief whip, Siviwe Gwarube claimed that during discussions on Friday, it became evident to the DA that the government was already working on its own coalition legislation.
Gwarube said that this move undermined the ongoing law-making process in Parliament and made a mockery of the purpose of the coalition dialogue.
“Our view is that if government has seen the value in the work that we’ve done over the past year, then they should support the three bills that are coming to Parliament in the coming weeks, instead of developing a parallel process that now undermines the intention of the national dialogue,” the report quoted Gwarube as saying.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
