Opposition parties open to working together in NW legislature

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Two more political parties will be represented in the North West Provincial Legislature following the recent national and provincial elections. This comes after uMkhontho we Sizwe (MK) Party and ActionSA secured one seat each.

Although MK Party did not indicate who they would designate to the legislature, ActionSA will be led by Kwena Mangope, son of former Bophuthatswana president Lucas Mangope.

38 candidates are expected to be sworn in as members of the provincial legislature (MPLs) on Friday.

Following the provincial and national elections, the African National Congress (ANC) in the province has 23 seats, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) with 7, Democratic Alliance (DA) with 5, while the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), MK Party and ActionSA have one seat each.

Secretary of the North West provincial legislature, Innocent Netshitumbu says the date of the first sitting has been confirmed.

“The first sitting of the North West Provincial Legislature is scheduled for this Friday the 14th of June at 10:00 at the legislature chamber here in Mahikeng. It is the day that has been determined by the judge president in line with authorisation that he has got from the Chief Justice. That is done with section 110 of the Constitution. We since have the confirmation of that date and we have communicated it to all the represented parties and we are going to gazette it.”

With only a day before the swearing-in, it is uncertain who will represent the majority party.

Former Premier Bushy Maape has indicated that he will not be returning.

Though ANC chairperson Nono Maloyi didn’t make himself available to lead the provincial government, he might return as an MPL.

The party’s provincial secretary, Louis Diremelo, says everything is in order.

“We have got two new faces in the legislature that we believe that everything is in order. We are taking a number of 23 of the ANC. So everything is in order in terms of the ANC.”

Opposition parties say they will consider working together, especially if it ensures better services to residents of the province.

The DA’s provincial chairperson Freddy Sonakile says, “We are still talking. We remember now that is going to be five opposition parties with MK as well as ActionSA now joining in with one seat (each) that they will be having. So, we need to talk to them and say that do we have a plan as the opposition…Nationally, you will know that our parties are engaging in talks or coalition and all that. So as to whether what happens in national will affect here. We are yet to see.”

EFF provincial spokesperson Fanon Moema adds, “We have men and women of different capabilities and combined or collectively, we believe that they are going to do a great job in terms of holding government accountable number one but two, also in ensuring that there is proper oversight in different committees and different areas of the legislature.”

Meanwhile, the MK Party says it will not participate in the swearing-in on Friday as per the directive of their national leadership.