“We will vote with them if they meet conditions that are between us”, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema said. “We are happy to tell our people we would not be entering into a coalition with anyone, and that the EFF would be resuming it seats as an opposition”, Malema said. “We will influence the municipalities from opposition benches”, said Malema. “If we are neutral, we will be sell-outs”, Malema continued.
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Both the ANC and DA were courting the EFF for them to form governments in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay metros that were previously held by the ruling party.
“At one point you thought one party would be dominant until somebody comes, and they’ve said it themselves, and I don’t want to mention the blasphemous word, but it shows you the dynamics of politics in changing and we all have got to be on our toes”.
Malema said talks to form a coalition with the DA failed because the party was non-committal on EFF’s demands to expropriate land.
“None of these parties are merging, all of them remain independent, but we have agreed to say where we can form governments, we must and those governments should operate in a particular way”, said Maimane.
The country’s third-biggest opposition party says it’s also signed the cooperation agreement endorsed in Johannesburg today by the DA, Freedom Front Plus, United Democratic Movement and other opposition parties.
The ANC’s share of the national popular vote fell to 54,5% from 62,2% in national elections two years earlier, with a series of scandals implicating Zuma, an economic slump and high unemployment eroding its urban support. We want the ANC to be removed from power and this is the beginning.
Mulder said the system was chosen to prevent one party from having too much power and has not worked because the ANC has constantly receiving a majority of votes.
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“We have concluded an arrangement with three other parties, and that will be a coalition government”, said Selfe. We feel very strong that the EFF must earn its position in the municipalities and provincial government. “The difference between the ANC and the DA is that the ANC is a corrupt organisation which subscribes to kleptocracy”.
