Gayton McKenzie’s gives inside info about coalition negotiations, Geordin Hill-Lewis, and Helen Zille

Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie said that the Democratic Alliance (DA) will be the biggest loser following the 2026 local government elections.

He shared this information during an interview with Alec Hogg from BizNews about the coalition negotiations.

McKenzie predicted that the ANC will form a coalition with ActionSA, the EFF, and the MK Party in the Gauteng metros.

This will result in the ANC governing Ekurhuleni, while ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba will become Johannesburg mayor.

ActionSA will also govern the City of Tshwane, with the former mayor Nasiphi Moya taking the reins again.

He argued that by locking the DA out of the main metros, the ANC strips the party of its bargaining power in the government of national unity (GNU).

“If the DA does not behave at the GNU level, the ANC will tell them that it has the option to work with the EFF and MK,” he said.

“It removed the leverage the DA had, which is the threat that the government will collapse if they leave.”

He said that should the DA and Freedom Front Plus no longer be part of the GNU, it would open the door for the EFF and MK Party.

“The language has shifted. The MK and EFF’s stance can change from ‘we hate the GNU’ to ‘we will join if the VF+ and the DA are no longer part of it’,” he said.

He added that the DA has golden handcuffs, as they can’t walk away from the GNU as the business community will not forgive them.

“The GNU is one of the biggest achievements of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s term. Business loves the GNU, and people love the GNU,” he said.

Gayton McKenzie about Geordin Hill-Lewis and the DA

McKenzie predicted that the DA will be the biggest loser in this coalition cycle because of its isolation in the metros.

He said that by now, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis had realised they could be shut out of most major cities by the ANC.

Hill-Lewis is now trying to reach out to Herman Mashaba and even MK leader Jacob Zuma to broker deals. However, it may be too late.

“I’m meeting Geordin Hill-Lewis this afternoon. He also wrote the letter to Jacob Zuma,” McKenzie said.

“He is reaching out to the EFF and MK. I didn’t believe it until someone showed me the letter. That shows you how smart Geordin Hill-Lewis is.”

“This is because he has realised that their whole fate is in the hands of the ANC. He is now talking to other people so they can’t catch him off guard.”

However, despite reaching out to the parties which the DA does not typically want to work with, McKenzie said that it might already be too late.

One problem is that ActionSA will not work with the DA. “Herman Mashaba has been hurt and humiliated, and those are things people do not forget easily,” he said.

Mashaba previously said that he would form a coalition with the DA if Helen Zille and Cilliers Brink are not mayoral candidates. McKenzie said that this will not happen.

“Helen Zille will not give Herman Mashaba the accolade of saying he finished her political career. It is not going to happen,” he said.

“Anybody who thinks Helen Zille is going to be the mayor of Johannesburg can forget that dream. It is not going to happen.”