While DA federal chairperson Helen Zille continues to view the Government of National Unity (GNU) as a grand coalition, she has stated that the party will actively pursue the Tshwane mayoral seat.
The Tshwane municipality will this week see the city elect a new mayor to serve the residents.
This is after the DA mayor Cilliers Brink was removed from the position in a motion of no confidence.
Some of the reasons for his removal were complaints from residents, especially those in townships about the lack of service delivery.
The City of Tshwane has had six different mayors since 2016.
The dynamics of the country's politics have a significant impact on the current race for mayor of the capital.
In an interview with eNCA on Sunday, Zille indirectly mentioned that GNU is a grand coalition.
“A government of national unity includes all the major parties above a certain threshold, and that would mean it would include MK Party and the EFF, but it does not. If all the other parties except the DA and ANC were to leave the GNU, it would make no difference.
“If the DA pulled out, the government would fall, if the ANC pulled out, the government would fall. That gives you your answer,” she responded to whether the GNU was genuine or a grand coalition.
This is not the first time that Zille labelled GNU as a grand coalition.
In a video clip that has gone viral on social media, Zille said “President Cyril Ramaphosa came up with this notion of a GNU, which he thought would be a better way of selling the concept of a coalition to his own party.”
The ANC’s response to this was that they lead the GNU and no one can say otherwise.
Zille previously told IOL that the removal of Brink might jeopardise the relationship between her party and the ANC nationally.
Tshwane will elect the next mayor on Wednesday.
IOL Politics