DA and MKP Coalition Talks Raise Eyebrows Online After Parties Previously Ruled Out Working Together

• Democratic Alliance leader Geordin Hill-Lewis wrote to uMkhonto weSizwe Party President Jacob Zuma requesting a meeting
• The two parties are set to meet, despite both previously ruling out working together due to policy differences
• The talks caused a stir on social media, with South Africans sharing mixed reactions to the news of the meeting

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has spent a decade reporting on South Africa's political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online journalism.

KWAZULU-NATAL — The Democratic Alliance and uMkhonto weSizwe Party are on the verge of formal coalition negotiations, with DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis having written a letter directly to MKP President Jacob Zuma to request a meeting.

The letter was seen by SABC News and reported by journalist Oliver Dickson on X on 11 November.

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The outreach marks a notable shift from the positions both parties had publicly maintained, with both sides saying they would not work with the other.

Hung municipalities drive the talks

The impetus for the engagement comes after 34 of KwaZulu-Natal's 44 municipalities returned hung councils after the most recent elections, leaving no single party with an outright majority. The MKP secured roughly 34% of the provincial vote, making it the largest party in KZN, while the DA holds meaningful representation across several councils.

In eThekwini, the MKP is projected to hold around 86 seats and the DA approximately 57 out of a 223-seat council, well above the 112 needed for a combined majority.

A similar arithmetic applies in Msunduzi, where the MKP has 31 seats and the DA 17 out of 81, clearing the 41-seat threshold for a majority together. Other councils, including Newcastle and uMhlathuze, present comparable opportunities for a coalition.

How did South Africans react?

The announcement drew sharp and divided responses on social media.

@MzansiFeelings wrote:

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"Very interesting. Earlier tonight, a senior DA official in KZN was on SABC claiming the DA will not negotiate with the MKP or the EFF."

@Simply_Cleo28 asked:

"Where are the DA voters and bots who have been dragging Ntate Herman Mashaba the whole week? Suddenly they are quiet."

@ms_cheekbones commented:

"DA would do anything for the bag."

@uMzala_SA offered a contrasting view:

"This is mature leadership. Good on you, Geordin."

@ANCComrade4u suggested a strategic motive:

"The DA is going to use the MKP as a scare tactic against the ANC to force it to coalesce with it."

@Olivia_LaGrange issued a pointed warning:

"Do not allow the DA into KZN. I am warning you."

Michael Beaumont names DA members ActionSA won't work with

Briefly News also reported that ActionSA's Michael Beaumont clarified that the party's coalition tensions are not with the DA as a whole.

The party's National Chairperson named two members of the DA as individuals he believed had proven incapable of managing coalition arrangements.

Beaumont used an example of ActionSA Member of Parliament Athol Trollip advocating for working with the DA in Nelson Mandela Bay as proof of this.

Source: Briefly News