The Democratic Alliance has rejected assertions made by the SA Communist Party (SACP), which appealed to its alliance partner the African National Congress (ANC) to avoid, at all costs, working with the DA in forming the next government of South Africa.
Horse-trading and coalition talks have intensified, with the ANC engaging its opponents, seeking to bring them on board and form the seventh administration after the former revolutionary movement suffered a humbling decline at the polls, dropping to 40% and losing the majority it has held since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
IOL reported on Wednesday that the SACP said it will support the Government of National Unity (GNU) as long as the Democratic Alliance (DA) is excluded from the arrangement.
SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila, without hesitation, said they would not work with the DA and its forces, describing them as “anti-working-class forces”.
In an interview with broadcaster Newzroom Afrika on Wednesday night, DA leader John Steenhuisen said such absolutist positions do not help in the ongoing discussions which are in their infancy.
“It is early days. We have had engagements as the DA, they (ANC) have the NEC (national executive committee) to get through, but I think it is unhelpful to have these absolutist positions being put on the table. The reality is – no party has a majority,” said Steenhuisen.
“On June 17, we are going to have to form a government in South Africa. There is an election for president and an election for speaker (of Parliament). That is why these talks must continue. I also think it is quite odd that Mr Mapaila says we are anti-worker. The DA has created more workers in this last year than any other party. So we have swelled his ranks tremendously.”
Steenhuisen said players within the business sector must be “very careful” at this stage.
“If the forces of the anti-constitutionalist and the anti-market consolidate, business in South Africa is going to suffer very badly. We all have pension funds, we have interests in South Africa, we all have an interest in economic growth and I think what we should is – rather than take these absolutist positions, let us decide that what does the South Africa that we want to see look like,” he said.
“We are committed to growing the economy. We are committed to fighting poverty. We are committed to ensuring that the constitutional order is protected and we want to work with parties who believe in those things as well. That is the best environment for South Africa to grow.”
Earlier in the day, Mapaila had insisted that the SACP’s alliance partner, the ANC must not enter into a marriage with the DA.
“We will not work with these forces, we will not support any idea to try and work with these forces,” he said.
Mapaila described the DA as “anti-people forces”.
He addressed the media on the outcomes of the May 2024 elections, with a focus on coalition arrangements.
Mapaila said the SACP was seeking a coalition with other parties in which the ANC could consolidate a minority government with some features of a government of national unity, without the DA.
“But this GNU should not include the DA… we support the minority government with GNU features without the role of DA-led forces. We are clearer about our position on coalitions,” he added.
In the same vein, Mapaila said the SACP was against seeking a coalition arrangement with the MK party, “whose origins can be traced back to factionalism, the corruption of state capture and resistance to accountability, as outlined in the report of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and related Constitutional Court judgments.”
IOL