Helen Zille favours DA-ActionSA or ANC coalition in Johannesburg
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance's candidate for Johannesburg mayor, favours a two-party coalition with ActionSA or the ANC. She believes a smaller municipal executive would be easier to manage than an alliance involving several small parties, according to an interview with TimesLIVE after the first municipal results.
Helen Zille, the Democratic Alliance (DA) candidate for Johannesburg mayor, favours a two-party coalition with ActionSA or the ANC to govern the South African metropolis. She told TimesLIVE that the preliminary municipal election results made these two configurations possible, while noting that the outcome would depend on the final results and negotiations.
Zille believes a coalition limited to two parties would be easier to manage than an alliance involving several parties. She recalled having already participated in a seven-party coalition and said that the multiplication of partners complicated the management of political interests and government responsibilities.
The DA candidate also accused small parties of being able to prioritise obtaining positions and public contracts over improving services and governance. She nevertheless said the DA's national negotiators would decide which agreement offered the best conditions for the party, according to TimesLIVE.
The negotiations come after South Africa's municipal elections, in which the ANC failed to secure a majority in any of the eight metropolitan municipalities, according to results reported on 5 November in the ANC denied a majority in all eight metropolitan municipalities. On 6 November, the Patriotic Alliance also said it preferred FF+ and ActionSA for the coalitions.
