After it’s brutal losses in the City Johannesburg, Action SA is reconsidering its stance on coalitions, including the possibility of partnering with the ANC.
Action SA lost all its MMC positions in the City of Joburg as the mayoral committee ceased to exist following the ousting of DA mayor Mpho Phalatse last week.
Both Action SA and the DA have blamed each other for the loss of Johannesburg. This has placed Action SA in a precarious position, forcing the party to reflect on a possible working relationship with the ANC.
Action SA leader Herman Mashaba has in the past maintained that his party would not work with the ANC, which he had labelled “a party of thieves”. But now as the coalition tectonic plates are turning, Action SA may be forced to put aside its pride after being let down by the DA which it accused of being greedy for power.
Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg yesterday, Action SA national chairperson, Michael Beaumont said the party’s senate would meet this week to discuss its position on coalitions.
“I can’t stand here as the national chair and say this is what Action SA will do in coalitions; I do not possess the authority (not) even Herman Mashaba as the president, we have to go to senate to have these discussions as any political structure gets its decisions from senate,” Beaumont said.
He said the party and other political party’s needed to have a relook at the model of coalitions because it was clear that they were not working,
“There is too much instability we have to look at the question of stability and how we can make these arrangements work. From that perspective we are going to have that engagement at the level of our senate,” Beaumont said.
Newly minted Action SA leader, Bongani Baloyi told reporters that the party had accepted that the party was now in opposition. He stressed that there were no ties between Action SA and the DA following the collapse of the multi-party coalition in Johannesburg.
Baloyi described the DA’s behaviour in the coalition in Johannesburg as greedy and abusive. The DA had pushed the other coalition party’s away by trying to hold on to the top three positions of power in the city.
“They did not appreciate the moment that was before them, the moment was do you chose power and position or do you chose to stabilize the coalition? They chose power and position and they lost everything,” Baloyi said.
On the other hand, Baloyi said the party was now setting its eyes on Tshwane and Ekurhuleni. It was trying to ensure Action SA doesn’t lose the positions they hold in those municipalities.
“Of course this is in the backdrop of the ANC threatening to make a clean sweep of all Gauteng metros, Ekurhuleni being next.
“We understand that the EFF and the ANC have an agreement in place and in the foreseeable future Ekurhuleni is going to go, We did warn this early this year that Ekurhuleni is in a precarious situation our warnings were not heeded to,” Baloyi said.