Former Joburg mayor Mpho Phalatse would be very welcome to join the Action SA if she decided to switch parties, says Action SA Gauteng head, Bongani Baloyi.
Action SA singled Phalatse out for praise while lashing her party for not caring enough about Johannesburg to fight to keep her and the DA-led coalition at the helm of the Joburg city government.
Baloyi said “anyone with eyes” could see that the DA had abandoned its values and was only interested in the Western Cape.
The DA’s former opposition parties have criticised the party for not allowing Phalatse to lead negotiations or have significant input into the agreements guiding a government she lead.
While stressing that the party was not trying to woo Phalatse, Baloyi insisted that Phalatse would find conditions more welcoming if she crossed the floor.
Phalatse has not publicly given any indication of wanting to leave the DA.
“I can speak from personal experience, the grass is greener on the other side,” said Baloyi in reference to the 17 years he spent as a DA member and its mayor in the Midvaal municipality from 2013 to November 2021.
“She would be welcome with open arms. She would find herself in an environment of people who are like her, who believe in what she believes in; people who want to disrupt politics as usual. She would be welcome here, but it is her decision.
“I am sure Helen [Zille] can persuade her otherwise to remain there. She is a force that we can work with. She is a typical politician who has her heart in the community and the right reasons,” said Baloyi flanked by Action SA national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, Funzeni Ngobeni, John Moodley — all of whom are former DA leaders in various capacities.
“With all her mistakes, she is not a thief. She is not somebody hell-bent on pushing her agenda over the collective agenda. That I think it is something we can work with.”
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