Western Cape parties set out coalition red lines ahead of local polls - IOL

Western Cape political parties say they are focused on winning outright majorities in the upcoming local government elections, but some are prepared to consider coalition agreements if no party secures enough seats to govern alone.

The Democratic Alliance has governed the Western Cape provincial government for 17 years after gaining majority since winning the 2009 general election.

On April 22 this year, DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said the party was celebrating its 17th year after being recognised as the best-governed province in South Africa.

He said at the time that it took just one term of the DA being in office in the Western Cape Government after 2009 to turn broken departments into ones achieving clean audits.

According to a recent Ipsos Khayabus “Pulse of the People” study, key metros remain battlegrounds ahead of the Local Government Elections and its research suggested that electoral outcomes “remain far from settled...with significant numbers of registered voters still available to be persuaded”. 

The study noted: “The ANC continues to enjoy particularly strong support in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, while the DA remains dominant in the Western Cape and performs competitively in several other provinces.   

“The DA records its strongest metro support in Cape Town (46%) and could potentially exceed 50% support as campaigning continues.”

When asked about the possibility of a coalition involving strong competition, Simmers remained silent, stating that the party was focused on the road ahead to the elections.

“Our focus is on November 4. Your question is premature,” he told the Weekend Argus.

The ANC in the Western Cape took the same stance, saying that it was determined to take over the reins.

Sifiso Mtsweni, provincial spokesperson for the ANC said: “The ANC has not discussed any coalition pacts, our approach is to contest and win elections.”

ActionSA said it would be willing to share a stake but would not compromise its ideals on corruption or its commitment to delivering services to people regardless of their creed or colour.

It said in response: “ActionSA’s focus in this LGE is to contest and secure a mandate from voters. The question on coalitions are for post November 4th considerations.

“However, we have established a list of key principles on which we are not prepared to compromise in any negotiation that could possibly arise.

“Namely: Declaring corruption as public enemy number one, Ensuring that we deliver quality service delivery regardless of postal code and demographic.

GOOD Party mayoral candidate Brett Herron, who has vowed to stop the sale of city-owned land from the first day if elected Cape Town mayor, said the party believed a coalition was possible.

He said the time had come for older parties to be challenged on their delivery when it came to housing and municipal bills, citing that the DA had been in power for decades.

“We believe it is more than possible, in fact highly likely, that most of the municipalities in the Western Cape will require coalitions to form a government. This includes the City of Cape Town,” he told the Weekend Argus.

“The old parties have dominated government for the past 26 years, since the new local government structure was implemented, and voters now have a long track record of how the DA and ANC have governed their towns and the City.

“For instance, the DA has led the City of Cape Town for 22 out of the 26 years since it became a metro.”

Herron said voters realised that they had been fed empty promises.

“They are coming to the realisation that they have lived through two decades of broken and repeated empty promises. They will demonstrate this at the ballot box.”

Nazier Paulsen, EFF Western Cape elections campaign manager, mayoral candidate and member of Parliament, said the party was willing to work with any political party prepared to prioritise the interests of poor and underserved communities.

“Our approach to possible coalitions in municipalities across the Western Cape will be guided by concrete commitments to improve people’s lives,” he said.

“Where no party receives an outright majority, we are willing to cooperate with others around an agreed programme. However, that cooperation must be grounded in funded commitments, clear implementation deadlines and accountability to residents.

“Prospective coalition partners must support rebuilding municipal capacity through direct employment and permanent teams of engineers, artisans, plumbers, electricians and other workers needed to deliver reliable services.”