Phumzile Van Damme Says ANC and EFF Partnership Is the Only Stable Coalition, South Africans Agree

• Former DA MP Phumzile Van Damme says the ANC and the EFF partnership seems like the only stable coalition in South Africa
• This comes after the DA refused to back an ActionSA candidate for the mayorship in the City of Johannesburg
• Some South Africans agree with Van Damme's assessment of coalition politics in the country, adding that the DA seems to be sabotaging coalitions

JOHANNESBURG - Former Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament Phumzile Van Damme has added her two cents to the debate on the future of coalitions in South Africa.

In a Twitter thread reacting to the DA's decision not to back ActionSA's mayoral candidate during the City of Johannesburg council sitting to elect a new mayor, Van Damme said the ANC and EFF pact seems like the only stable coalition.

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Pumzile Van Damme says coalition partners have failed to gain South Africa's confidence

Van Damme noted that the DA's moonshot pact, aimed to keep the ANC and EFF out of power, would have worked. However, since the DA failed to support ActionSA's Funzi Ngobeni, it will never be great.

The former MP explained that she had lost faith in opposition parties because they failed to prove they had what it takes to govern.

"I’ve gotten past the stage of disappointment with opposition parties and have completely lost faith in their ability to govern in coalition in 2024," said Van Damme.

Pumzile Van Damme says the ANC and EFF coalition will most likely succeed in 2024

Van Damme added that opposition parties only have themselves to blame for strengthening the ANC-EFF coalition because they failed to deliver governance when given the opportunity.

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She also stated that opposition parties had an opportunity to prove themselves with the Ngobeni situation. However, many people distrust their governance.

ActionSA and the DA both placed their mayoral candidates on the ballot for a new mayor in Johannesburg, which led to an outright win for Al-Jamah's Kabelo Gwamanda, who was backed by the ANC and EFF.

According to TimesLIVE, ActionSA's national chairperson Michael Beaumont explained that the vote's outcome seriously strained the DA's proposed moonshot pact.

South Africans weigh in on coalitions

@sydney_moya said:

"Idk if a moonshot could work with how the DA works, tbh. From the outside, it lurched to the right, Zille regularly repeats MAGA talking points. Idk if this helps them with FF+, but I don't know if it would sit well with the rest of its future partners. On the same token, it does feel like it."

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@thabo_magaiva32 said:

"The DA is in survival mode. They would rather sabotage coalitions to avoid giving parties like ActionSA platforms in major metros. This is pure politics of the stomach. Discredit coalitions to get people to revert to voting for the ANC, DA and EFF only."

@akiMokoena7 said:

"It's almost like the DA is self-sabotaging because they don't want to lead. They just want their little Cape Town and the opportunity to scream about ANC failures. They don't want to save SA, they look better just sitting in the opposition benches and being outraged."

@Pencilgraffiti said:

"But this is not an either-or situation. Voting for a 'stable' criminal pact should not be anytime's choice. Voters need to take more responsibility for their votes and punish bad governance while rewarding good governance. Can't have stability until we've faced the storm."

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In a previous story, Briefly News reported that South Africans have been wondering who will reign over the country following the 2024 general elections.

According to a report by City Press, despite the ANC’s dwindling public support, opposition parties have been unable to capitalise on this and have failed to gain the trust of those voters looking for an alternative.

The Social Research Foundation (SRF) 2022 election database survey, conducted in July 2022, indicates that if an election were to be held soon, the ANC would garner roughly 50% of the votes with a 66% voter turnout or 52% with a 56% voter turnout.

Source: Briefly News