ON THE RECORD | Four opposition party leaders agree that next year’s election will be ‘pivotal’

  • John Steenhuisen, Herman Mashaba, Songezo Zibi and Mmusi Maimane agree that next year’s elections present an opportunity for SA to “reset” its course.
  • They were participating in a panel discussion, called The Kingmakers, at News24’s On The Record summit.
  • While there was agreement on several issues, there were also some issues that needed ironing out.

Four opposition party leaders agree that next year’s elections will be “pivotal” – and that a clear plan is needed to not only woo voters, but also to fix the country ahead of the next election.

But the leaders – John Steenhuisen (DA), Herman Mashaba (ActionSA), Songezo Zibi (Rise Mzansi) and Mmusi Maimane (Build One South Africa) – also need to iron out some issues.

This was particularly evident when the leaders participated in a panel discussion at News24’s On The Record summit on Thursday morning, hosted by assistant editor for politics and opinion, Qaanitah Hunter.

“This is the most profound moment for this nation to reset what the next 30 years is going to look like,” said Maimane.

Steenhuisen, who succeeded Maimane as DA leader, agreed that this was a pivotal point in the country’s history – and that, as political leaders, they had to put aside their differences and chart a path forward for the country.

There was general agreement that the next election was an “opportunity” to remove the ANC from power, and it would be the first step in turning the country around.

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Steenhuisen said the ANC had been fluctuating between 39 and 46%, according to the DA’s polls.

Mashaba was more bullish.

“The ANC will need God, if they are going to get in the mid-30s next year. But they don’t believe in God,” he said.

Zibi agreed with Steenhuisen that one should look at polling trends. For him, what most important was the people who stayed away from the ballot box.

“So next year’s election is a turnout election,” he said. “Collectively, we have to find between three and five million voters, who have not voted, to come back to the polls, that is what changes the maths.”

Mashaba said he was “encouraged” by ActionSA’s ability to convert people who previously didn’t vote.

“Those are the people who are really going to save this country.”

Maimane said citizens were genuinely asking for something new.

“We can’t just sit here and say, let’s squabble over the position, we’ve got to squabble over what is the overall picture,” he said.

He said that, if the coalition was only about removing the ANC and EFF, you are going to lose ANC voters.

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DA leader John Steenhuisen answers questions from News24’s Qaanitah Hunter.

Luke Daniel

“I may not like the ANC, but I love ANC voters. I want them to be part of our democratic project going forward.”

Steenhuisen said they had to deal with realpolitik and, to present an alternative vision, the ANC had to be removed.

When he was re-elected as DA leader in April, Steenhuisen proposed a “moonshot pact” – like-minded political parties clubbing together ahead of the 2024 national elections to come up with a clear plan to form coalitions on a national scale to unseat the ANC.

Asked about the future of coalitions, given the instability seen in, for example Johannesburg, Mashaba said he couldn’t see how they were going to come to an arrangement ahead of 2024, when they couldn’t prevent the ANC and EFF from taking over Johannesburg.

“In a coalition agreement, we don’t have to agree on everything,” Mashaba said, “but you have got to accommodate everyone.

“At the end of the day, the DA really needs to understand that we need the PA on board, whether we like it or not.”

Judging by his body language, Steenhuisen did not like it.

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Songezo Zibi and Mmusi Maimane pictured during News24’s On The Record summit.

News24 Luke Daniel

“There’s no point going into government with people who are going to do the very same things that you are trying to replace and fix – corruption, maladministration, poor governance and the like,” said Steenhuisen.

“Secondly, you can’t go in with the politics of extortion, with a gun against your head, and be told that, if you don’t make Gayton [McKenzie, PA leader] the mayor, then you must walk.”

He added that this was precisely the type of squabbling they needed to resolve ahead of the election.

Steenhuisen, on several occasions during the discussion, invited Zibi to participate in a “moonshot” meeting on Thursday evening.

Zibi said the exchange between Steenhuisen and Mashaba was exactly why he did not want to participate.

“We need to think a little bit harder about this. We’ve just said South Africa needs a reset – it doesn’t need a reset from fragmentation, it needs a reset from a lack of imagination.”