Helen Zille has been the poison in coalitions

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said that Helen Zille has been the poison in coalitions, and she has even kept her own party out of power.

Beaumont shared his views about South Africa’s political landscape and coalitions during a Newsday interview.

During the discussion, he shared information about the collapse of the Democratic Alliance (DA)-led multi-party coalition in the City of Johannesburg.

Following the November 2021 municipal elections, Mpho Phalatse was elected executive mayor heading a multi-party arrangement.

The core coalition included the DA, ActionSA, IFP, VF Plus, ACDP, and COPE, which later brought into a working alignment with Gayton McKenzie’s PA.

In 2022 and 2023, the coalition became unstable, which culminated in a successful motion of no confidence ending Phalatse’s tenure as mayor.

However, there was an opportunity to reclaim the city from the ANC and EFF coalition. However, according to Beaumont, Zille stopped this from happening.

“Zille has repeatedly acted as a disruptive force in Gauteng coalition negotiations. On multiple occasions, viable agreements were on the table, which she broke,” he said.

He cited the negotiations in the Johannesburg Metro following Phalatse’s removal as executive mayor.

“ActionSA, the DA, the Patriotic Alliance, and other former partners reached a consensus to restore the coalition,” he said.

“To make this work, ActionSA surrendered two of its three Mayoral Committee seats to the Patriotic Alliance, securing the majority to reinstate Mpho Phalatse as mayor.”

“Hands were shaken, and PA leader Gayton McKenzie publicly announced the deal. Yet, Helen Zille single-handedly vetoed the agreement.”

He said that, in an era of coalitions which run local governments, figures like Helen Zille and Cilliers Brink represent an obstacle to effective governance.

He added that it is rich for Zille to claim that she and the DA want to rescue Johannesburg from the ANC when they effectively handed power to the ANC.

“Constructive members exist within the DA, but the party frequently puts forward leaders who lack the temperament to manage multi-party environments,” he said.

Beaumont said that coalitions only succeed when guided by the right leadership, like Nasiphi Moya, ActionSA’s City of Tshwane mayor.