You can take the Freedom Front Plus and Corne Mulder’s word to the bank

Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader and Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, said that you can take the Freedom Front Plus’ word to the bank.

He shared this view during an interview with Biznews, where he discussed South Africa’s political landscape and the potential coalitions after the elections.

McKenzie said that South Africa has entered an irreversible era of coalition governance nationwide, which requires trusted partners.

“The era of coalitions is here to stay. The only two places that will hold out are Limpopo and Mpumalanga, where the ANC can go another five or ten years,” he said.

He said that at the national level, the government of national unity (GNU) will remain in place, but the political balance of power among member parties will shift.

At the local level, especially in the metropolitan areas, coalition politics will dominate following the November 2026 local government elections.

“My prediction for the Joburg coalition is ANC, IFP, and MK. However, if the DA, PA, ActionSA, IFP, and VF Plus work together, we could kick the ANC out,” he said.

McKenzie said that the problem is that nobody wants to work with Zille. “It’s not a DA problem. It’s a Helen Zille problem.”

He accused Zille of being an unashamed liar who cannot be trusted when she makes a coalition deal.

In comparison, he praised the Freedom Front Plus and its leader, Corne Mulder, for being men of their word.

“I can tell you one thing about the Freedom Front Plus and Corne Mulder, you can take their word to the bank,” McKenzie said.

“When they say, ‘We will not work with you’ or ‘We’ll work with you’, you can take that to the bank. You can have a handshake deal with them.”

He added that although he does not like ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, he is also a man of his word whom he can trust.

“I don’t really like Herman Mashaba, but I can tell you one thing. Once you agree with him on something, you can shake hands on it,” he said.

McKenzie said it is not possible to reach a handshake agreement with the DA because the party cannot be trusted.

“With a DA, after you shake hands, you have to count your fingers to ensure that they are still all there,” he said.