By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The coalition of seven political parties led by South Africa’s largest opposition party, Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday urged other parties to join them in a bid to end the 29 years rule of the African National Congress (ANC).
The coalition is believed to put ANC which has been in power since 1994 at the risk of losing its parliamentary majority in 2024, and ultimately the presidential seat.
“We are extending another invitation because we think there are political parties that would be a good fit”, Siviwe Gwarube, a representative of the Democratic Alliance (DA), told AFP on the sidelines of a coalition meeting in Johannesburg.
“They could increase our numbers”, she added, not disclosing calculations on the coalition’s current chances of winning at the ballot box.
Last month, the DA announced a coalition with six smaller parties with a view to win the 2024 elections amidst growing discontent with corruption, unprecedented energy crisis and a shaky economy marked by unemployment under the ANC government
The radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the country’s third largest political party is not included
The DA has a fifth of the seats in Parliament and could win 16 percent of the vote, according to the polls. There are currently fourteen parties in parliament.
“Our mission is to overthrow the ANC, exclude the EFF and establish a multi-party government”, the coalition parties stressed in a joint statement.
“We have not forgotten history, but this nation must stop living in it”, added Neillll de Beer, head of the United Independent Movement, which is in the coalition.
The historic party fell below the 50 percent mark for the first time in local elections in 2021.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, 70, was reappointed in December. He is guaranteed a second term as the head of the country if the ANC wins.
