The Economic Freedom Fighters will support the DA and the IFP, but will not be going to bed with the ANC – and it’s all Jacob Zuma’s fault.
The EFF yesterday declared they would vote against the ANC in all municipalities, adding the red berets will not rise to power “through shortcuts”.
EFF leader Julius Malema says President Zuma is the reason his party could not enter into a coalition with the African National Congress.
That and the fact that the ruling party could not commit to the conditions it set, one of them being that the ANC recall Zuma.
The EFF, dubbed “the kingmakers” in South Africa’s hung municipalities, said it was not in coalition with any political party, opting instead to be a vocal opposition.
“We are happy to tell our people that we will not be going into coalition with anyone. The EFF will assume seats as the opposition,” Malema told reporters in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg.
He added: “EFF must not get power through shortcuts.”
He said the EFF would not be neutral at hung municipalities, but would support the IFP in KwaZulu-Natal “and everywhere”.
They would also support the Democratic Alliance (DA) “with conditions” in Tshwane, Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni to spite the ANC.
“DA must know, our voting for them in these metros does not mean we are in bed together. They are the lesser devil.”
DA leader Mmusi Maimane has welcomed the EFF gesture.
“We have irreconcilable differences in ideology with EFF, but democracy allows for both to exist,” he says.
Saturday’s deadline for councils to be constituted has been extended by a week.
Meanwhile, Maimane announced that the DA had entered into a coalition government with minority parties in several of the 27 hung municipalities following the August 3 polls.
The DA has formed a coalition government with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), United Democratic Party (UDM), Congress of the People (Cope), Freedom Front Plus (FF+), and African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).
Maimane said this political marriage was necessitated by the need to put the lives of poor people first ahead of politicians.
“The framework of our agreement is that we put the people ahead of political interests,” he says.
Maimane also said Solly Msimanga and Athol Trollip would be the mayors of Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay respectively.