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With less than a year to go before the next municipal election, the Democratic Alliance has reliably learnt of a plan by the EFF to try to use the DA as a pawn in its escalating conflict with the ANC and ActionSA in coalitions where they jointly govern and the latter wants to enter into.

The growing conflict between the EFF and the ANC, specifically in Ekurhuleni, but also in other coalitions with other partners like ActionSA, has culminated in an EFF threat to bring the ANC down through motions of no confidence wherever they co-govern.

The DA in Gauteng wants to make it clear that we will not be used as pawns in the ANC-EFF-ActionSA power-plays. The DA has learnt a bitter lesson from the past -- that where we rely on other parties who aren’t sincere in dealing with issues of governance and delivery for our citizens, but purely on political power plays, we’d continue to have these unstable governments that leads to very little progress in terms of delivering to the people.

We cannot offer good, clean governance in those circumstances.

With less than a year to go before the local government elections, the DA is not interested in continuing with the game of “musical chairs” in mayoral offices. The DA is open to honest conversations about the way forward in municipalities and what is best for the residents. Our focus is solely on representing our voters, and becoming the biggest party in all South Africa’s metros in the upcoming elections.

We also have no interest in becoming involved, in any way, in any of other political parties internal factional battles.

Issued by Solly Msimanga MPL - DA Gauteng leader