DA opens coalition talks with EFF/MK Party despite years of hostility - TimesLIVE

The DA, which has repeatedly portrayed the EFF as a threat to South Africa’s democracy, has invited the party to coalition talks following the local government elections.

The EFF and MK Party confirmed to the Sunday Times on Wednesday that they had received a letter from the DA, opening the door to possible coalition arrangements in municipalities.

“Yes, we did receive the letter from the DA and the leadership met with them yesterday. They have asked us to work with them in municipalities, however, we have not yet responded to their proposal,” EFF elections spokesperson Sixolise Gcilishe said.

MK Party leader Dali Mpofu also confirmed the DA had reached out to former president Jacob Zuma for possible coalition talks.

“We have not yet formally responded, but a decision has been taken to accept the invitation. The two teams will be finalising the arrangements for the meeting to take place in the next few days,” Mpofu said.

He added that the MK Party’s national negotiations team held an exploratory meeting with the ANC negotiators on Sunday.

“The MK Party does not have any preconditions or non-negotiables. As previously announced, we are prepared to talk to any political party which is willing to talk to us,” Mpofu said.

A DA insider said the position adopted at the party’s federal executive meeting last week was to open discussions with all parties about possible coalition arrangements.

“I think Geordin is more open to conversations with everyone. He is not John [Steenhuisen], but the parties we eventually form coalitions with must be committed to good governance,” the insider said.

DA federal council chairperson Ashor Sarupen did not directly respond to questions about whether the party was negotiating with the EFF and MK Party.

“Our comment is as follows: we have committed that we would not do negotiations via the press. We are speaking to all parties interested in non-racialism, the rule of law, anti-corruption and service delivery, in good faith, to do what’s best for our citizens and to restore service delivery in municipalities,” Sarupen said.

The move marks a departure from the DA’s longstanding position that it would not enter into coalition arrangements with the EFF or MK Party.

The DA has repeatedly said that one of the reasons it entered the government of national unity was to keep the EFF and MK Party out of national government. It previously described a possible ANC-EFF-MKP coalition as a “doomsday coalition”.

During The Political Arena podcast’s leaders’ debate in October, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis accused the EFF and its leader, Julius Malema, of fuelling instability in coalition governments. He argued that parties such as the DA had a responsibility to keep the EFF out of government.

Hill-Lewis also accused the EFF of facilitating, participating in and leading state capture and large-scale looting wherever it held influence.

On voting day, DA Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille was reported to have ruled out any arrangement that relied on the EFF to keep a minority coalition in power. Sunday World reported that Zille had warned that the DA would rather sit in opposition than enter what she described as an unworkable coalition.

The coalition overtures come amid a separate legal confrontation between Zille and Malema.

On Wednesday, Malema sent Zille a letter of demand calling on her to retract her statements and issue a public apology by close of business.

The letter accused Zille of making defamatory and unfounded allegations during a Sunday interview in which she alleged that Malema had wielded influence over former Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba.

Zille has refused to retract her statement.