By Zukile Majova
Political Editor
After accusing the Democratic Alliance of bullying them, opposition parties have agreed to take another shot at working with the DA.
Under the so-called “Moonshot Pact” the DA is trying to get opposition parties to gang up against the ANC and the EFF ahead of the 2024 national elections.
So far, the DA, IFP, FF-plus, ActionSA, the National Freedom Party, the United Independent Movement and the Spectrum National Party have joined the DA’s project.
The United Democratic Movement, which convened the first meeting of opposition parties, has not yet agreed to join the Moonshot Pact.
Also absent is the ACDP, a party that is in a coalition government with the DA and IFP in KwaZulu-Natal.
The EFF, which is the second biggest opposition party in SA, has not been invited to join the coalition of opposition parties because DA leader John Steenhuisen has labelled the party as the DA’s number one enemy.
The seven parties have issued a joint statement saying they will host a national convention on 16 and 17 August to agree on the terms of their pact and how they will cooperate in the future.
“The convention will be held at Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng. This venue was deliberately chosen for its symbolic significance, being the same venue where the Codesa negotiations took place that laid the foundation for South Africa’s transition to democracy.
“It is therefore fitting that we use this venue to host another historic first, where opposition party leaders will get together around one table to work out a common vision for a new government,” the parties said in a statement.
Steenhuisen, whose party holds 21% of the national vote, said the seven parties jointly represent 35% of the national share.
“Voters can take heart that, for the first time, political leaders are working in unison to provide hope for South Africa,” he said.
Pictured above: DA leader John Steenhuisen meets ActionSA founder Herman Mashaba
Image source: Twitter
