John Steenhuisen Declares Party Not Interested in Unstable Coalitions: 'Savelelwa'

• DA leader John Steenhuisen has outlined his party's conditions for entering into a coalition government
• Steenhuisen said he has seen how metros are unstable, and his party won't rush into any hasty decisions
• Among the DA's conditions, Steenhuisen cited non-racialism and respect for the rule of law and the constitution
• Locals have rushed to social media to share their own views around Steenhuisen and his remarks

PRETORIA - As the dust settles around the furore of the recent local government elections, it comes as no surprise that political parties are weighing their options around forming coalition governments.

This has prompted the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), John Steenhuisen, to take a solid stance on the conditions under which his party will enter into a coalition.

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Speaking to the media at the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC)'s results centre in Pretoria on Wednesday, the official leader of the opposition said he has observed how metros have been characterised by instability.

He said his party won't rush into any hasty decisions but, instead, make a deliberate determination that goes the distance for the next five years until the next elections, TimesLIVE reported.

"We are going out there for a stable coalition that is going to deliver services and last the distance," cited Steenhuisen, who said the party has developed a matrix for each municipality in the country.

“We will input the figures that we project into the matrix, and what that will do is to give us the various permutations that will be possible within those municipalities and the various coalition options.

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"Once that is done, we will sit down with the negotiating team and go through the options for a stable coalition to determine the best one for the party," Steenhuisen added.

News24 previously reported that the DA will only enter into coalitions with parties that share the values and principles of non-racialism, respect for the rule of law and the Constitution, a social market economy and a capable state.

“I don’t want to go into unstable coalitions. The situation we had in Tshwane in the past five years has been difficult.

"Running a minority government and living between council meetings is very difficult," he added.

South Africans express polarising views

On social media, South Africans who kept a keen eye on the developments around the elections had plenty to say about Steenhuisen's remarks.

Briefly News takes a look at those reactions below.

@Matthew Von Meyer wrote:

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"How can this unstable fellow speak of unstable coalitions."

@Sizwe Radebe said:

"Saze savelelwa we Desuh."

@Quinton Quakes Crawford added:

"Can't trust John Vuli Gate, he will form a coalition with ANC."

@David Namadingo offered:

"Unfortunately, this boy is eating more than what he can chew. Again, he is talking too much. He is being a louder speaker for nothing."

@Billy Sturgeon mentioned:

"The EFF has said that they will create unstable coalitions. These people are definitely short of a few circuits under the skull."

Triumphant DA urges uMngeni Municipality officials to cooperate or step

In related news, Briefly News previously reported that the DA has come out firing some strict orders following its historic triumph at the local polls to win the uMngeni District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal.

The party on Wednesday issued a stern warning to officials there to either form a working relationship with the party or pack their bags and leave.

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TimesLIVE reported that DA provincial leader Francois Rodgers, who was addressing supporters at a victory rally, stressed that officials would be made accountable.

The district is the first to be governed by the DA in KZN following years of ambitions by the organisation to oversee the inland council, according to a News24 report.

Briefly News has learnt that mayor-elect Christopher Pappas, who is adamant about "bringing change to the district", said those who steered away from carrying out the work they are mandated to do best be gone by the time the DA comes to the office.

Source: Briefly News