Did Steenhuisen just snub ActionSA while thanking moonshot partners?

DA leader John Steenhuisen left out pact partner ActionSA while thanking other parties by name for their co-operation in the negotiations leading up to the conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday and Thursday to establish a pact to unseat the ANC at the 2024 elections.

But Steenhuisen has since insisted this was not "a snub" as he had concluded his vote of thanks by saying the moonshot pact would not have been possible without the leaders of "all the other parties".

The DA leader was briefing the media on the state of readiness for the upcoming conference. He mentioned all political parties by name except ActionSA.

“I want to thank the IFP for the way in which they have led from the front on this project. Mr [Velenkosini] Hlabisa has been a pillar of strength in our negotiations so far. And it is thanks in no small part to the great leaders in the IFP that the Moonshot is already well on its way in KwaZulu-Natal.”

The FF Plus was also hailed for its involvement and participation in the pact preparations. “Dr Pieter Groenewald has equally represented his party with aplomb, and I thank him for his earnest engagement during all our meetings,” he said.

Steenhuisen also thanked two of the newer parties in the grouping. — but snubbed ActionSA .

“The same goes for Mr Neil de Beer (UIM) and Mr Christopher Claassen (SNP), who have brought fresh perspectives to the pact that have undoubtedly put their relatively new parties on a pathway to success,” he said.

Tension has been simmering between the DA and ActionSA , stemming from conflict in local government coalitions where the pair have shared a bed before. 

ActionSA’s Michael Beaumont told Sunday Times this past week there were cracks in the ceiling because the DA seemed to be cozying up to the idea of possibly abandoning the pact and working with the ANC next year due to its refusal to sign a document prohibiting it from working with the ruling party.

Calling it a “trust deficit issue,” Beaumont said: “It’s deeply concerning that the approach we’re getting is that they [the DA] can’t rule [working with the ANC] out altogether and all they can do is commit that they will stay loyal to the pact as long as the pact can achieve a majority,” he said.

Despite FF Plus’ Groenewald publicly expressing similar concerns, his views did not prevent him from being thanked for his participation in the pact negotiation process.

Instead, Steenhuisen made the division clear by even acknowledging the pact’s newest player, the Independent South African National Civic Organisation (ISANCO), for its involvement in the convention.

“To ISANCO’s Zukile Luyenge, I say thank you for your courage in showing South Africans how we can move away from ANC failure towards a better future,” said Steenhuisen.

He regarded ISANCO’s decision to join them as a major breakthrough as it was previously part of the ANC alliance.

“They broke away from the alliance in 2021 because of the ANC’s failure to address the deep-rooted corruption that is tearing our country apart. In the 2021 election, this newly formed party won 14 council seats in former ANC strongholds. With the addition of ISANCO, the pact has added a party that shares our values and which has turned its back on the ANC,” he said.

Steenhuisen said this was a clear indication to voters disillusioned with the ANC, that the Moonshot Pact is the alternative government they have been waiting for.

“To former ANC voters who share our values and who are looking for a new political home, I say: Like ISANCO, your voice and your vote is welcome inside this pact to rescue South Africa,” he said.

Despite not outright dismissing claims that his party was cozying up to the ANC, Steenhuisen said the focus should rather be on building a prosperous South Africa and not just a grouping that rejects the ruling party.

“I have said from the very start that this must not just be an anti-ANC project. It must be a pro-South African project, that tables real solutions to the urgent problems our country faces.

“That is why the DA is deeply committed to ensuring that the pact emerges from the National Convention with a meaningful agreement on how we will work together to rescue South Africa.”

Steenhuisen said parties involved in this process have already made some progress towards a minimum joint programme of action.

“From the DA’s side, I can assure the people of South Africa that we will continue to act at the convention in the same good faith and spirit of co-operation that has got us this far.

It is my sincere hope that we will emerge from the convention with a document that articulates our shared values and the minimum policies a pact government would implement to fix the problems plaguing our country.”

* This story has been amended since its initial publication to clarify that "all" parties were thanked.

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