The ANC Western Cape’s election head, Cameron Dugmore, says the party won’t be engaging the DA on coalitions in municipalities.
Speaking at the Cape Town Press Club on Tuesday, Dugmore said the ANC is in talks with opposition parties.
“We are engaging other opposition parties through our provincial leadership. It’s not something that is left to the national office. We are not engaging the DA,” he said.
Earlier this week, a leaked recording from 2019 surfaced, in which Helen Zille is heard saying the DA should consolidate its support at 20% and enter into a coalition with the ANC.
On Monday, however, Zille appeared to have distanced herself from suggestions that the DA may enter into a coalition with the ANC after the 1 November municipal elections.
Dugmore was questioned about the ANC’s decision not to reveal its mayoral candidates and coalition partners.
“As part of the process in trying to identify not only the best ward candidate we can find, the same goes for the PR candidates. It’s to make absolutely sure. It is one thing to win an election, it’s another thing to actually govern effectively.
“If you win, either outright or with a coalition, you have to send people to certain positions. What we decided, all nominations for mayoral candidates would be interviewed by a team of national leaders. After assessing the balance skills needed for the particular municipality, our mayoral candidates would then be announced.
“Among the candidates we have put forward in our wards is a solid team. We have profiled a number of candidates in their wards,” he said.
Coalitions
Dugmore said the provincial leadership would be at the forefront of coalition talks.
“The possibilities of various parties getting one or two seats in councils are huge. We have the highest number of political parties in the Western Cape. We have coalitions and written agreements with parties.
“We have learned from these things as they are not easy. We are going out to win, but we can’t count our chickens before they have hatched. You must do the best you can. So, if you get to a coalition, you are the majority party,” he said.
The ANC has managed to govern several municipalities, most in the rural parts of the province, through coalition agreements.
In the City of Cape Town, it’s a different story. This year’s municipal elections mark 15 years of DA rule in the city.
In 2016, the DA managed to score the bulk of the election results in the City of Cape Town.
The party, then under the national leadership of Mmusi Maimane, and with Patricia de Lille as mayoral candidate, scored 66.6% of the vote in Cape Town.
It was an overwhelming victory, and it was also the first time since democracy the DA had brought the ANC below 25%.
The DA has been in charge of Cape Town since 2006, when Zille managed to form a coalition government with six smaller parties in the council.