John Steenhuisen makes about-turn on possible coalition talks with ANC

DA leader John Steenhuisen has seemingly made an about-turn on his party's willingness to enter into coalition talks with the ANC.

Steenhuisen's earlier views on coalitions: 

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Addressing supporters in Mamelodi on Wednesday, Steenhuisen said his party did not want to get into bed with the ruling party.

“The latest lie that they have come up with is that the DA wants to get into government with the ANC. And I am here to tell you quite unequivocally today, and in front of this crowd, that we do not want to get into bed with the ANC.

“We want to kick the ANC out of the bed. We want to bring them below 50% so that we can change this country. That's what we want to do,” said Steenhuisen. 

He said when they had brought the ANC below 50%, they wanted to be the core of a new majority in SA.

Steenhuisen's address appears to differ from the statements he made last week during an interview with the Sunday Times. At the time he said the DA was prepared to get into talks with all the parties, except the EFF and the ANC in Nelson Mandela Bay. 

He said parties had to share their values and have a common programme of action.

But Steenhuisen on Wednesday said it was lies spread by the opposition that the DA was willing to work with the ANC.

“The more we tell the truth about our opponents, the more they start telling lies about us. So I am not going to stop telling the truth about our opponents, but I am going to challenge the lies they tell about us.

“Particularly these small Chihuahua parties, they have got a lot to say but they don't do anything. They've never governed anywhere but they've always got a lot to say,” he said.

He further slammed the ANC, using the latest round of Eskom's load-shedding to criticise the party.

This after Eskom announced on Wednesday that the country was moving to stage 4 load-shedding.

Steenhuisen said it was not load-shedding but job-shedding and it was bad news for the unemployed. 

He slammed the ANC, saying it should not get back in power in the city of Tshwane.

“We are not going to let you get your hands on Tshwane, because you're going to do to Tshwane what you did for the past 20 years. You are going to do to Tshwane what you did to Eskom.”

Everything the ANC touches turns to corruption, he added. 

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