DA Federal Council meets on Monday to discuss GNU

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The Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance (DA) meets on Monday at the party’s headquarters in Bruma, Johannesburg.

The party’s top leadership will be discussing power sharing arrangements after it garnered nearly 22% of the national vote, won the majority in the Western Cape, and showed a presence in all other provinces.

The DA will also specifically look at the African National Congress (ANC) proposal to form a government of national unity (GNU).

DA’s National Spokesperson Solly Malatsi says the party welcomes a possible working relationship with the ANC.

“The DA welcomes the fact that negotiations are now moving to a substantive negotiation phase. Our negotiation team based on the announcement made by the president last night have further meetings with other parties to listen to their views and reactions. We also hope to get more details from the ANC about the finer details of what a government of national unity entails which will then be deliberated by our federal executive and subsequently, our federal council will then be deliberated on Monday.”

Mixed views on ANC-DA coalition

Several stakeholders have expressed mixed views on the proposal to have the ANC and the DA working together.

Some ANC members, who are part of the #NotwithDA campaign in Gauteng, raised their objection to a coalition with the DA.

ANC member Esethu Hasane says there’s been a surge of media articles that seek to put pressure on the ANC by suggesting that the only coalition that would work is a DA coalition.

The South African Communist Party has also spoken out against it, with General Secretary, Solly Mapaila, saying that a coalition with the DA would be going against its anti-capitalist agenda.

Meanwhile, the DA laid down stringent conditions under which parties would be included in the GNU.  The party had said it will only agree to be part of ANC’s proposed governing structure if the uMkhonto weSizwe, Economic Freedom Fighters and Patriotic Alliance were excluded.

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