Mashaba on ‘tricky’ coalition talks: ‘Parties are willing to sleep with anyone as long as the cheque is bigger’

16 November 2021 - 10:00
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ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba. File photo.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba. File photo.
Image: ANTONIO MUCHAVE

With time running out for political parties to form coalitions in hung municipalities, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba says parties who are willing to work with anyone for a “bigger cheque” are making the negotiations difficult.

No party achieved a majority in 66 councils, meaning coalitions will need to be formed or there will be election reruns.

Speaking on CapeTalk, on Monday, Mashaba took aim at political parties “motivated by personal gain”, saying they cannot guarantee the sustainability of coalition agreements.

“Parties who say they are willing to go into coalitions with any party make the negotiations really very tricky, with some of the political parties prepared to talk to anyone prepared to throw the biggest cheque at our door,” said Mashaba.

He said certain political parties' commitments were not about SA, but about what they themselves could gain.

“That is why you cannot really guarantee the sustainability of these coalition arrangements when you have parties that are willing to sleep with anyone as long as the cheque is bigger,” he said.

Mashaba’s dig comes after he closed the door on a possible coalition with the EFF over the weekend, alleging that the red berets were in bed with the ANC.

Mashaba said his party would never form a coalition with the corruption-accused ruling party.

“I have personally written to the EFF and communicated our position. It was a letter that respectfully expressed our appreciation for their engagements and our reservations regarding their proposal,” Mashaba said in a statement.

He said in the event of ActionSA going into a coalition it would be on the basis of collaborating with parties that prioritise service delivery.

Under the EFF arrangement, service delivery cannot be prioritised because the ANC “wants departments filled with people appointed on the basis of who they know, not what they know”.

“Under such an arrangement ActionSA could not fulfil its mandate to fight corruption because it would, invariably, be investigating and acting against those with whom it is in coalition,” said Mashaba.

He said like-minded parties should act quickly and decisively to put in place an arrangement that reflects the will of the SA people to remove the ANC from power and keep them in the opposition benches so that the work to fix SA can begin.


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