- Newcomers in the South African political space, ActionSA are in high demand as parties seek to form coalitions in hung municipalities.
- The party has revealed that the DA had made an approach and offered to join forces and form a coalition in Tshwane.
- ActionSA chief negotiator, John Moodey also revealed that the party had engaged in talks with the EFF and was still considering their demands.
The DA has held talks with Herman Mashaba's ActionSA, proposing a coalition partnership in Tshwane that would see it retain the metro.
Talks had, however, apparently stalled because ActionSA was not willing to negotiate on individual municipalities, but wanted a basket agreement in all the municipalities it contested the recent elections.
This was revealed by ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson John Moodey, who was leading the party's coalitions negotiation team, during a press briefing held by the party in Sandton on Tuesday.
Moodey said ActionSA had already held telephonic engagements with the ACDP, Cope, AIC, GOOD and the IFP to discuss forming coalition governments in the hung municipalities and that no agreements had been reached yet.
He also went on to detail how his party had, on Friday, met the DA who were represented by party federal council chair Helen Zille and Timothy Brauteseth - and said the talks were centred around a coalition being formed in Tshwane.
Moodey said:
"And our response was why would we not include Johannesburg and all the municipalities that we have contested," said Moodey.
Moodey added that his party had met with the EFF who gave them written demands which ActionSA was yet to consider.
On the talks with the EFF, ActionSA raised concerns over the red berets' demands and had already indicated that the issue of land expropriation was a huge stumbling block.
Moodey also revealed that he, along with other party coalition negotiators, would be having face-to-face meetings with the IFP and Cope.
Mashaba said his party was not willing to go into coalitions at all costs and said should there be a need for a rerun of elections in the hung metros, ActionSA would agree to this as it believed it would do even better.
ActionSA held the media briefing to update the public and media on the outcomes of the public participation platform on coalitions launched last Thursday, 4 November.
Party national chairman Michael Beaumont said 17 636 citizens took part in ActionSA's poll that took place from 4 to 8 November and that 91% of had urged the party to ensure it was in government and worked towards providing services to communities.
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