- Seven parties are set to participate in a national convention on the DA-led “moonshot pact” in August.
- In the lead-up to the convention, ActionSA says it will embark on a nationwide campaign to gauge public opinion.
- The FF Plus adds it will not join a coalition before the 2024 elections if there is no declaration stating parties will not form an alliance with the ANC.
Opposition parties – due to take part in a national convention on the DA’s “moonshot pact” in mid-August – are preparing their positions to work together to block an ANC/EFF coalition after the 2024 general elections.
While formal talks are planned for August, the parties have begun internal consultations to consolidate their views on the matter.
The DA wants opposition parties to work together before the elections to block a possible ANC/EFF coalition from governing the country.
ActionSA, which has agreed to be part of the talks, plans to get public input before it meets with other parties.
Meanwhile, the FF Plus has ruled out any pre-election coalitions as part of the planned talks.
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It wants the convention to declare that none of the political parties involved would form an alliance with the ANC after the elections if it loses its majority.
A joint statement by the parties on Monday stated they had reached common ground and would proceed with the convention at Emperors Palace on 16 and 17 August.
It read:
We are proud to report today that, through good faith and through engagement, party leaders have established sufficient common ground for this national convention to take place on 16 and 17 August 2023. The convention will be held at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park. This venue was deliberately chosen for symbolic significance, being the same venue where the Codesa negotiations took place that laid the foundations for South Africa’s transition to democracy.
The convention will cement the ongoing conversations party leaders have held over the last two months, finalising the pact in which each party will decide on whether to join formally.
In their statement, the parties said, “every party leader that has engaged in this process so far has done so voluntarily, and it is for each party to ultimately decide whether it wants to join the pact once negotiations have been concluded formally”.
FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald told News24 the party would wait on the forum’s outcomes before deciding to join the coalition.
Groenewald said even though he wanted the party to maintain its independence and eliminate the ANC, his decision to join would be influenced if a declaration was made that confirmed the seven parties would not form a coalition with the ruling party.
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“In our view, at the convention, there should be a declaration or undertaking from political parties to say they would not participate in any form of government with the ANC nationally.
“That should be a declaration. So, the electorate can see which political parties will not form an ANC government after the elections.”
He added in the lead-up to elections, it was important for opposition parties to gain support and encourage the public to vote for them to increase the likelihood of ousting the ANC.
“The Freedom Front Plus, our viewpoint is very clear. We have said firstly, we undertake that we will not be part of any ANC government after the election or with the EFF.
“We will not go into any coalition with them. Secondly, we said coalitions and agreements on coalitions happen after an election, not before an election.
“Thirdly, I said very clearly that the Freedom Front Plus will ensure that it maintains its independence as well as its own identity.
“So, we are not going to merge some of the other new political parties or anything, but we will, after the elections, be available for coalitions.
“The reason for this is because the ‘moonshot pact’ cannot be a brand for the elections campaign where parties create the impression of merging together.”
Groenewald said behind-the-scenes talks should take place to prevent confusion.
Meanwhile, ActionSA has set its sights on a nationwide campaign, which is set to begin on 10 July, to gauge what the public wants.
Speaking to News24, its national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, said the party was focused on resolving underlying issues that could restrict the convention from making meaningful progress.
He added:
I think the most important thing is that ActionSA participates in an ongoing process with these other parties to achieve two things. One is to narrow the gap on issues that could become possible barriers – if we were to go to this convention today, there would be challenges around certain key issues. That is why these next six weeks need to be used deliberately to work with political parties. To find common ground, to comprise so we can achieve those important ends.
Beaumont said the party would be “running a very public campaign where we will ask South Africans to guide us in terms of what they want to see from this process and what they don’t want to see”.
“And I also think we want to see more parties coming on board. We don’t want to see a country club that is going to achieve a minority in the next elections. We need to see a broad church.”
DA leader John Steenhuisen’s spokesperson, Charity McCord, added the party would continue to hold regular meetings with its counterparts ahead of the forum.
McCord said while the seven parties were considering their agendas for the convention, they had received assistance from coalition experts to facilitate the discussions.
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“As a group, we are already considering each item on the agenda of the convention and debating it to find common ground.
“To this end, the group has engaged the assistance of coalition experts to facilitate our discussions.
“As a group, we have a working document that is steadily taking shape towards being a memorandum of common understanding that all the parties could sign up to,” she added.