FF Plus amused by ANC’s sudden interest in coalitions
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Freedom Front Plus member of the NCOP, Petrus De Bruyn has told Deputy President Paul Mashatile his party is amused by the African National Congress (ANC)’s sudden interest in coalitions, as the country is heading towards the 2024 general elections.
He called on Mashatile to give an undertaking that proposed legislation to govern coalition governments will not be used to keep the ANC in power.
De Bruyn asked Mashatile during the Deputy President’s oral reply to the session in the NCOP.,
“Deputy president, we also find it amusing that the ANC is suddenly taking an interest and discussing coalitions, now that there is a real chance for the ANC losing the majority of votes in 2024. However, the Deputy President trying to use legislation to keep a losing party from losing control over government and its resources, will show that the ANC put itself above democracy and the will of the people. So, in light of that Deputy President, can you give us the assurance that legislation will (change) under no circumstances to keep a party that is losing in power by disadvantaging other parties,” says De Bruyn.
Meanwhile Mashatile rejected De Bruyn’s claims that the ANC has only developed an interest in coalitions recently, saying the party’s interest started in 2016.
“I was among people who were engaged in discussion around coalition mandated by the ANC. I was in Gauteng at the time. Prominent amongst people who later worked with me around coalition, amongst others was Madam Hellen Zille herself. We engaged in that. Then the EFF honourable, Floyd Shivambu and all that. I’m talking 2016, so it’s not now (2023). I’m saying that we are now in a situation where we realise that this thing is such a reality in our country. At the moment you have about 81 hung municipalities. So, this has become so real that if we don’t’ develop rules that guides all of us, we are going to have chaos as we have seen in some areas and different municipalities,”
