Durban - The UDM and ACDP have rejected the DA’s moonshot pact, saying they will not support any co-ordinated effort that labels other opposition parties as “enemies”.
Following his re-election as DA federal leader earlier this month, John Steenhuisen said the party would immediately initiate a process to form a pre-election “moonshot pact” with like-minded political parties, civil society organisations and civic movements to defeat the ANC and to keep the EFF out.
On Saturday, Steenhuisen provided an update on the pact, saying that five other parties had agreed to talks with the DA at a national convention later this year, including the IFP and the FF+.
“Unfortunately, however, I must report with deep disappointment that the following three party leaders have rejected the plea for co-operation: the Reverend Kenneth Meshoe from the African Christian Democratic Party, General Bantu Holomisa from the United Democratic Movement and Bongani Baloyi from Xiluva,” Steenhuisen said.
Holomisa said his party would not join a pact that declared others as enemies. Last month, the UDM leader first mooted the idea of a national convention of a mass-based alternative to vote for in next year’s elections. He had said that the tripartite alliance had failed South Africans and there was a need for a new alliance with like-minded parties.
“This picture is not likely to change for the 2024 national and provincial elections. So, is South Africa forever doomed to suffer the muddled and directionless politics of today, where the electorate feels uninspired to fulfil their constitutional duty to vote?
“One thing is, however, patently clear, multi-party democracy is our only defence against one-party dominance and dictatorship, and this country is finely balanced between opportunity and disaster.”
He said that South Africa must work towards a system where two large parties of similar strength and size vied for the mandate to govern.
Holomisa yesterday said the DA was being opportunistic in imposing their ideas on what was meant to be a pact that gathered all parties together.
“The UDM discussed the holding of a convention to focus on the problems in the country. We said it should involve opposition parties, sectors of civil society and also individual members of the governing party who want to look at the mess in the country.”
Holomisa said the idea was that everyone who was involved was equal.
“Now the DA has determined who will fund such an initiative and who will facilitate.”
Meshoe said they did not appreciate the big brother attitude shown by Steenhuisen. “If we are to be partners, then we prefer discussing issues rather than a decision being taken and brought forward to endorse. In a partnership, you need to discuss issues from the beginning and this is not the case with this pact.”
Meshoe said Holomisa had come up with a similar idea on March 15.
“We also think it is unwise to use the term enemies when it comes to South African politics. The EFF is being described as public enemy number one but if we label others as enemies then we end up treating them as such.
"We may not like ANC or EFF policies or approaches but we will never call them enemies,“ Meshoe said.
He said they believed that coalitions should be formed after the elections.
“Steenhuisen said we rejected the plea for co-operation but this is not the truth. We felt the policy direction was being imposed on us and that there was a need to convert to the policy direction as set out by the pact.”