The DA has shut the door on negotiations with its GNU partner, accusing the ANC of “losing control” over its Gauteng deployees in the establishment of government of local unity talks.
This declaration of strained relations comes ahead of the special sitting of the Tshwane council expected to elect a new mayor on Wednesday after an ANC sponsored no-confidence motion which axed the DA’s Cilliers Brink.
In a letter written by the party’s federal chairperson Helen Zille to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and NEC member David Makhura, she declared that the DA had formally withdrawn from talks and any that the ANC should be blamed for any further metro collapse.
“The ANC must now accept responsibility for the ongoing chronic instability of these metros and continuing service delivery failures as South Africa approaches the 2026 local government elections.”
The DA is insisting on the return of their ousted mayor Brink as a non-negotiable for the talks to resume, calling it the will of the people.
“The ANC should take careful note of the widespread anger and backlash in the capital city against parties responsible for removing mayor Brink. The major blunder of yesterday’s events can be reversed by re-electing Brink to the position.”
Zille outed Gauteng premier and ANC provincial chairperson Panyaza Lesufi as the culprit causing the friction and “defying national leadership,” saying the “aftershocks will be felt throughout the country”.
“I am aware of the significant efforts you both [Mbalula and Makhura] made over the past two weeks to persuade your Gauteng colleagues to facilitate a wide-ranging stability pact involving a range of hung metro councils in the run-up to the local government elections of 2026.”
The federal chairperson acknowledged the “significant efforts” made by Mbalula and Makhura, citing she appreciates the initial feedback arising from the regular in-person and virtual meetings.
However, Zille reveals that the relationship has since been “damaged” by a failure to answer recent calls or respond to text messages.
“In a scathing accusation, she says: “I can only assume that you realised you were losing control of the ANC’s internal battle with the Gauteng leadership and did not want to reveal this to us. The events in Tshwane signal the end of the progress we were making, countrywide.”
The two parties were engaged in exploratory talks in several metros — Ekurhuleni, Nelson Mandela Bay and eThekwini.
“It is very unfortunate that the substantial progress we have made has been undone by the obduracy of your Gauteng leadership under premier Panyaza Lesufi. Until the ANC’s national leadership reasserts its authority in Gauteng, the metros in our most populous province will continue to disintegrate, with profoundly negative economic consequences,” said Zille.
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