- The Patriotic Alliance seems to have struck a power-sharing deal with the ANC.
- The party's leader, Gayton McKenzie, says the ANC had promised the PA key political positions.
- DA leader John Steenhuisen labelled the PA's stance on coalition negotiations as the continuation of a patronage network.
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) seems to have struck a deal with the ANC in key municipalities, with party leader Gayton McKenzie signalling certainty over key political positions for his party in Ekurhuleni and Johannesburg.
McKenzie, in a live a broadcast to supporters on Monday night, said the party had been promised positions by the ANC.
In the municipal elections, the PA gained seats in several municipalities across the country, giving the party the negotiating muscle needed for coalition talks with bigger political parties.
According to McKenzie, the agreement with the ANC was that the PA would vote for it in key municipalities and in return the party would be awarded mayoral committee positions.
He specifically mentioned housing and infrastructure positions for the PA in Ekurhuleni, Emfuleni, Johannesburg and the JB Marks Municipality in the North West.
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McKenzie said the ANC had also promised his party similar portfolio positions in the Sol Plaatjie Municipality in the Northern Cape - an area where the ANC needs its support.
The ANC also agreed to allow the PA to govern the hung Karoo Hoogland Municipality in the Northern Cape.
The ANC has not commented yet on any coalition agreements and its comment will be added once received.
'Patronage positions'
McKenzie has made no secret of his party's interest in political positions when negotiating coalition agreements. This is a stance that has raised criticism from the DA.
On Tuesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen called the PA's interest in political positions as part of the continuation of a patronage system.
With a PA and ANC alliance, the possibility of forming a coalition partnership in Johannesburg seemed bleak, he said.
"The Patriotic Alliance announcing that they are going to coalition government with the ANC in areas including Johannesburg makes the path a lot narrower for the opposition to be able to try and form a block there.
"It is quite odd, because yesterday was the first engagement we had with [the] Patriotic Alliance. They wanted to steer it to how many mayoral positions they can get. It is all about patronage politics and dispensing jobs, and influence who gets which tender."
Steenhuisen was referring to a meeting organised by the FF Plus that was attended by leaders from ActionSA, the UDM, ACDP and IFP.
The meeting, which took place on Monday, was organised to try and find a coalition agreement for the big metros. No agreement has been reached and another meeting is expected to take place this week.