ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says his party is willing to form a coalition pact with the DA, even though this was not ideal.
The DA received 29% from the 17,636 respondents which the party says participated in its recent poll on who ActionSA should go to bed with in hung councils across the country.
According to the results of the poll, FF Plus secured 16%, IFP 14%, ACDP 13%, PA 12% while the EFF got 10%.
With both parties, ActionSA and the DA, having ruled out working with the ANC in any of the municipalities that had no clear majority after the polls, the two parties would have no choice but to work together in key metros, including Johannesburg, if they were to succeed in their mutual ambition of ensuring that the governing party stayed out of power.
The two parties have been entangled in public spats in recent months, including after the elections, as they decampaigned each other despite most of their local government commitments being the same.
The party’s lead negotiator on coalition, John Moodey, denied that the new party had put up a request for its leader to be mayor of the economic hub.
Mashaba, however, insisted that the party wanted to be part of government and that it would not allow for the election of a “mayor of grass-cutting”, in reference to what he accused the DA of prioritising in terms of service delivery.
“Let’s put in the best person as the mayor of any particular municipality where our vote is needed. We are not going to accept putting someone up for convenience. No ways can we accept the question of putting a mayor of grass-cutting in place. People of Sandton can cut grass for themselves,” Mashaba said.
Moodey said the party’s negotiating team had also had talks with the ACDP, AIC, COPE, GOOD and the IFP.
The leadership of the two parties have been accused of being entangled in a battle of egos as many ActionSA leaders had unhappily dumped the DA before making the party their new political home.
Moodey denied that he and other former DA leaders had been influenced by their frosty past with the party, adding however that some of the experiences of leaders had a factor.
“You must also understand that it is human beings being involved in negotiations here,” Moodey said.
He said ActionSA was opposed to participating in DA-led coalitions and that all parties had to be equal partners as no single organisation secured clear victory.
“When you go into coalitions, there is no such thing as a small party and a big brother. Even if it is a one-seat party, we are an equal party and we need to be treated with respect. This is what the people of Johannesburg and other municipalities wanted because if they wanted ActionSA or the DA to be the leader, they would have given it an outright majority,” Moodey said.
Mashaba said his relations with the DA was “water under the bridge” and that he was “not in this job to make friends with anyone”.
“With the DA, we are happy to continue working with them in the event we are forced to really work with them, but at a professional level. There is a lot that we share in common. That is why I joined the DA in the first place, but obviously I got disappointments that led to my resignation,” he said.
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