Zille said the DA will continue engaging the ANC in Gauteng to find “common ground.”
Democratic Alliance (DA) federal chairperson Helen Zille said despite the progress in negotiations between the DA and the African National Congress (ANC), the parties have not reached an agreement in Gauteng.
Zille was speaking during an urgent press conference on Tuesday night after the DA in Gauteng failed to reach a deal with the ANC.
Negotiations
Talks between the ANC and DA continued behind closed doors after the two parties deadlocked in negotiations over cabinet positions.
On Monday night, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s announcement of his executive cabinet for the seventh administration was abruptly halted amid claims from both the ANC and DA of negotiating in bad faith.
The DA claimed the ANC only offered it two positions out of a possible ten, which subsequently changed to just one portfolio, while the ANC said that the DA’s demands were unreasonable.
The DA said discussions on Tuesday went up until 4:30pm when it seized.
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Statement of intent
Zille said that despite some progress, the DA and the ANC have not reached an agreement on the basis of a statement of intent.
She said the crucial clauses in the statement of intent include Clause 16, which speaks to proportionality, inclusiveness and the outcomes of the election.
“This is not a situation where the ANC tells the DA what to do and they accept it.”
Seats
Zille said the ANC has been prepared to offer the DA a maximum of three out of ten cabinet seats.
“The ANC’s refusal to discuss positions was a smokescreen to allocated seven seats to themselves. The ANC’s approach was not conducive to building an atmosphere of trust and we wanted clarity. We’re prepared to enter Gauteng into a power-sharing partnership to reflect the will of the electorate.”
Zille said the DA in continue engaging the ANC in Gauteng to find “common ground.”
“The DA is willing to enter into negotiations with any party and the EFF is not one of those.”
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga said the government and national unity (GNU) on the national level remain intact.
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