freeTheWorld

Newsday reports: ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has repeatedly promised voters that his party would not enter a coalition with the ANC. However, his party’s actions in Johannesburg and Tshwane, as well as his latest coalition negotiations following the 2026 local government elections, have disregarded this promise. “The second truth is that for this destiny to be realised, for South Africa to succeed, the ANC must fail,” he said. “The two cannot live in mutual prosperity. One must be sacrificed for the other to live. It will not be South Africa that dies.” “ActionSA will never go into coalition with the ANC. We believe this because you cannot fix the problem by partnering with the cause of the problem,” Mashaba said. “ActionSA won’t help them get the keys to any municipality, no matter what is offered to us,” Mashaba said.

Stephen Grootes has it. "The other big risk to ActionSA comes from within. Like so many parties in our politics, it has never held a formal leadership election. By claiming that he would not allow Zille to be mayor of Joburg, Mashaba gives the overall impression that he, and he alone, makes the decisions in his party. The risk is that his ego, and his feelings towards Zille, outweigh the rational interests of the party’s members in going into government with the DA and the ANC. If ActionSA’s members allow the ego of one person to override their interests, then it would be clear that ActionSA is really only about Mashaba. And, like Julius Malema’s EFF or Patricia de Lille’s Independent Democrats and Good Party, or Bantu Holomisa’s UDM, it would not be able to grow over the longer term. One of the great strengths of the ANC and the DA is their ability to change their leadership. As traumatic as this process can be, without it there can be no renewal – it forces leaders to act in the interests of the party’s membership. If ActionSA’s leader can act only in his own interest, then it will be consigned to the same fate as so many other parties. "

Coalition talks update - why are some desperate for media attention while others are not? Influence. If you are following coalition discussions you will notice two very different approaches. Some parties run to the media to talk about anything or everything. Other parties do not. Who runs to the media? Those with the weakest negotiation position. Small parties. Why? Because they are desperate to sway bigger parties, namely the ANC and DA. The ultimate decision makers on coalitions will be the ANC and DA. Either they will work with each other. Or against each other. This isn't arrogance. It's reality. If there is a party that wants to be in government and both the ANC and DA tell that party no. They will not be in government. So obviously these parties will meet with the DA and ANC, then immediately run to the media and conflate what happened. Meanwhile both the DA and ANC will simply say no deal has been reached. And they are right, unless it is signed, sealed and publicly delivered by these parties there are no deals. Ideal speculation will of course take place. But until you see the ANC or DA come out and actually say anything, everything is just distracting sensationalism noise. Both the ANC and DA are disciplined enough to cut out the noise. It won't sway them because they know that unless they move, nothing moves. Until they speak formally, you can basically discard anything that is said, by anyone on these matters.