DA courts Vavi

DA leader Mmusi Maimane is courting former Cosatu boss Zwelinzima Vavi as the official opposition party intensifies its bid to wrest Nelson Mandela Bay metro from the ANC in the elections.

The Sunday Times can reveal that Maimane and Vavi met at a Johannesburg hotel on February 1 to discuss forming a coalition government in the highly contested Eastern Cape municipality should the ANC fail to win an outright majority there.

At the meeting were Maimane, Vavi and a former ANC mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Zanoxolo Wayile. National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa general secretary Irvin Jim was invited but did not pitch.

Approached for comment yesterday, Jim said he had no knowledge of the meeting and referred the Sunday Times to Vavi.

According to some insiders, the DA is prepared to offer Vavi the post of deputy mayor if his newly formed United Front wins a sizable number of wards and helps to reduce the ANC's majority to under 50% on August 3.

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The DA yesterday denied that the talks had reached a stage where the two parties were discussing future positions.

Vavi confirmed that he was approached by the opposition leader about a possible coalition between the DA and the United Front.

"I confirm that Maimane approached me about the possibility of a coalition in the Nelson Mandela metro. This was after an Ipsos survey indicated no party will win the  metro and form a government on its own," said Vavi.

"According to this survey the ANC will receive 43%, the DA 37% and, if the United Front fields credible candidates, it will receive up to 34%. I have referred Maimane to speak to the United Front leadership in Nelson Mandela Bay," he said.

He said the meeting did not get into details of how the coalition would work. "I don't want to comment any further. The comrades must engage and have discussions," he said.

Maimane and the DA have identified the metro, which includes Port Elizabeth and surrounding areas, as a must-win municipality if it is to position itself as a viable alternative to the ANC.

The DA, which launched its local government election manifesto yesterday at a well-attended mass rally in Johannesburg, controls only Cape Town out of South Africa's eight metros.

Even though Maimane and the party's mayoral candidate for the Nelson Mandela Bay metro, Athol Trollip, yesterday told party faithful that they would win the region by over 50%, their own internal research shows that the party would need to enter into a coalition with other opposition parties to take over.

Maimane would not be drawn on the substance of the meeting, only telling the Sunday Times: "Right now we are focused on our campaign, and we are absolutely committed to winning Nelson Mandela Bay with an outright majority."

Once the August election results were known "we will be ready and willing to work with any party that will join us in working for change", he said.

"There is no pre-deal between anyone. We are working to win it."

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Trollip has long been in favour of working with opposition groupings such as the United Front, especially if the ANC is brought below 50%.

Discussions were also taking place with several other opposition political groupings with a view to realising an opposition coalition to unseat the ANC, should the opportunity arise.

Insiders said that at the meeting the DA issued a stern reminder to the United Front leaders to start pulling their weight against the ANC in the metro if they wanted to participate in the proposed coalition.

The DA is known to believe that Vavi is not visible enough on the ground in Nelson Mandela Bay, where the opposition will be relying on capturing the union vote, especially that of metalworkers in Uitenhage.

Political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni said it made sense for the DA to approach someone like Vavi and the United Front.

block_quotes_start The more votes the DA gets in this election, the more we can show that the voter is the boss - not the Guptas! block_quotes_end

"The United Front emerged largely out of Numsa's expulsion or breakaway from Cosatu, and the metalworkers, due to the auto industry, is strongest in that part of the world," said Fikeni.

"They understand that whoever is to win in that space must have the blessings of that particular structure.

'"It is the main reason you would find that they are targeting that particular organisation.

"They may be in doubt they may win an outright majority and then they go for the United Front, which also would like to be on the governing council," said Fikeni.

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About 20,000 DA supporters piled into Rand Stadium in Johannesburg yesterday to hear Maimane launch his party's election manifesto.

Maimane repeated the DA narrative that municipalities under its control were run better than those controlled by the ANC.

The DA took the municipal elections to ANC-controlled Gauteng, sending a clear message of the party's intention to snatch its three metros from the ruling party.

For the first time the DA held its election rally at a stadium and it was the biggest gathering of DA supporters and activists yet.

Party leaders and its mayoral candidates for Cape Town, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay delivered their election messages.

In his speech, Maimane said the August poll was more than a local government election.

"It is a referendum on the future of our country.

"The election is an opportunity to send a message to President Jacob Zuma and the ANC that we are sick and tired of them, and that we deserve an honest government.

"This election is a first step towards a new tomorrow for our country.

"The more votes the DA gets in this election, the more we can show that the voter is the boss - not the Guptas!" said Maimane.

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The DA manifesto boils down to three main commitments: stopping corruption, creating jobs on a municipal level and providing better municipal services.

Chief among these services are:

• Ensuring that streetlights and electricity supply stay on and that water remains available, through the proper maintenance of infrastructure;

• Ensuring that traffic lights work;

• Ensuring that potholes are fixed and roads are generally maintained;

• Ensuring that all municipal infrastructure is maintained;

• Fair, nonpolitical access to extended public works temporary job opportunities for all;

• Ensuring accurate, fair billing; and

• Ensuring pro-poor budgeting.

joubertj@sundaytimes.co.za, jikat@sundaytimes.co.za