The Patriotic Alliance has agreed to support ActionSA’s mayoral candidate in Laingsburg Local Municipality, marking the first coalition agreement between the parties following the November 4 local government elections
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has agreed to support ActionSA's mayoral candidate in the Laingsburg Local Municipality in the Western Cape, marking the first agreement between the two parties following the November 4 local government elections.
The agreement comes after neither party secured an outright majority in the Western Cape municipality, where ActionSA emerged as the leading party with three of the 10 council seats.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) also secured three seats, while the African National Congress (ANC) won two. The PA and the People's Movement for Change (PMC) each obtained one seat.
ActionSA received 1,776 votes, representing 26.59% of the valid votes, followed by the DA with 1,693 votes (25.35%) and the ANC with 1,636 votes (24.49%), according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
Six seats are needed for a council majority. The PA's decision to support ActionSA therefore gives the party the backing of four councillors, leaving it short of the numbers required to govern with an outright majority.
PA explains decision to back ActionSA
PA spokesperson Steve Motale said the decision followed discussions between the two parties on Wednesday, November 11, during which they considered municipalities where both had secured representation.
Laingsburg was the first agreement to emerge from the discussions.
Explaining the decision to support ActionSA, Motale said the PA trusted the party's leader, Herman Mashaba.
“We know from experience that we can trust the word of Herman Mashaba, so we will support him in Laingsburg. We believe this is best for our country and we are putting the country first,” Motale said.
Service delivery among PA's priorities
The PA said its councillor in Laingsburg would focus on ensuring that the new administration prioritised residents' needs, particularly reliable water and electricity, safer streets and employment opportunities for local people.
The party also wants to address what it described as the long-standing neglect of rural Karoo towns.
Motale said negotiations between the PA and ActionSA were continuing in other municipalities where both parties had secured council representation.
PA favours GNU model for hung councils
The Laingsburg agreement forms part of wider coalition negotiations being pursued by the PA following the elections.
On Monday, the party said its National Executive Committee had resolved that its first preference was for the Government of National Unity (GNU) model to be extended to hung councils across metropolitan, district and local municipalities.
“The PA believes this offers the greatest chance of stability at a time when important governance reforms are gaining momentum,'' the party said.
The PA also said it had representation in nearly 80 councils across the country and would continue negotiations with parties in municipalities where it held seats.
The PA said further agreements would be announced as they were concluded.