Corné Mulder is talking nonsense about secret DA and ANC discussions – Cilliers Brink

The DA’s mayoral candidate for the City of Tshwane, Cilliers Brink, has dismissed VF Plus leader Corné Mulder’s accusation that the DA is in secret talks with the ANC.

Brink shared his views about the political race ahead of the 2026 local government elections in an interview with Newsday.

Last month, Mulder said that the DA is most likely secretly planning coalitions with the ANC in major South African cities.

“If I listen to the rhetoric from the Democratic Alliance, they are preparing to form a coalition with the ANC in major metros,” he said.

These metros include eThekwini, better known as Durban, Johannesburg, and Tshwane, known as Pretoria.

“Their strategy looks like they want to be the larger party in these municipalities, and then bring in the ANC as a coalition partner,” he said.

Brink dismissed this speculation as complete rubbish, arguing that Mulder is prone to making false accusations against the DA.

“Corné has to say that, but it is complete rubbish, like many other things Corné is prone to saying,” he said.

“Corné has to say that because when he was the Western Cape leader of the Freedom Front Plus, they voted with the ANC to remove DA mayors in three municipalities.”

Brink cited many cases where this happened in the Western Cape, including Oudtshoorn, Swellendam, and Cederberg.

“Thanks to Pieter Groenewald’s leadership, who eventually overruled Corné Mulder, a lot of that damage was reversed,” he said.

He explained that, due to Groenewald’s intervention, the DA’s relationship with the Freedom Front Plus in the Western Cape was restored.

“However, now Corné Mulder is the national leader of the Freedom Front Plus, and he has a propensity for bringing down DA mayors,” Brink said.

“That propensity wasn’t present in Gauteng when I served alongside Grandi Theunissen, who was the Freedom Front leader in the Tshwane Council.”

Brink warned that people should be very careful of Corné Mulder and what he has to say about the Democratic Alliance.

“He has a bad track record of bringing down DA mayors and then coming up with defensive excuses why he shouldn’t answer for the very things he accuses others of.”