ActionSA remains open to Joburg coalition with DA if Zille’s not its mayoral candidate
Coalition negotiations are underway after no political party secured an outright majority in the city during last week’s local government elections.
Alpha Ramushwana
ActionSA national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, at a media briefing on 22 July 2024. Picture: @Action4SA/X
@Action4SA/X
ActionSA said it remains open to working with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the City of Johannesburg, but not if Helen Zille is the party’s mayoral candidate.
Coalition negotiations are underway after no political party secured an outright majority in the city during last week’s local government elections.
The DA emerged as the largest party, securing 34% of the vote.
However, the party needs to garner at least another 17% to reach the required 50% plus one majority to elect Zille as mayor.
ActionSA has already met with the African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to kick-start coalition talks in hung councils across the country.
But one of the biggest challenges will be to negotiate a mutually beneficial arrangement that could see the parties governing Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane together.
The DA, however, is determined to secure Johannesburg, hoping to build a numerical majority that would see Zille elected as mayor.
ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party is not particularly keen on supporting Zille’s mayoral bid.
“ActionSA has communicated its concerns regarding Helen Zille and any possible mayoral team that she could lead because there is a track record of her destabilising and collapsing working coalition governed from the comfort of her Cape Town home.”
ActionSA and the DA have yet to meet for coalition talks.