Durban - THE DA and IFP in KwaZulu-Natal say the working arrangement agreement that they presented and signed at a press briefing on Tuesday provides an opportunity for them to determine how they could work together if they manage to topple the ANC as the ruling party in the province come next year’s elections.
Labelled the “service delivery pact”, the agreement has been six months in the making, and according to the two parties, it is aimed at improving the lives of residents and services provided to them in areas where the two parties co-govern, with the ultimate aim of governing KZN after the 2024 elections.
“Our common goal is to remove the ANC,” said DA leader Francois Rodgers at the media briefing.
He said the mood was extremely optimistic.
The DA leader accused the ANC of running local government into the ground, saying many municipalities in the province were battling to provide services to communities.
“There can be no doubt that the ANC has wrecked local government across KZN and it is up to the IFP and DA to restore faith and trust in the political process. That is why we believe we are able to come together and put the interests of citizens first,” Rodgers added.
IFP chairperson Thami Ntuli said the parties would retain their individual identities without one superseding the other as they campaigned ahead of the 2024 general elections.
“There was no big brother approach in coming to this agreement,” the IFP chairperson said. The “big brother” comment appears to be directed at the moonshot pact critics who had dismissed the plan of co-operation among opposition parties for fear of the DA’s dominance in the move.
The two parties said what drove them to the agreement were the common features they shared, including a strong commitment to constitutionalism, the rule of law and service delivery improvement.
They described the agreement as a major turning point in KZN politics that would bring much-needed stability to a number of municipalities where they co-govern.
The agreement will now be presented to the two party caucuses at councils in which they co-govern.
Areas the parties believe need urgent attention include:
● Ensuring delivery of basic services to communities.
● Accessing affordable and sustainable electricity, thereby relieving residents and businesses from crippling load shedding.
● Bringing in investment and jobs to the local economy and making it easier for businesses to trade.
● Supporting devolution of power within the constitutional and legislative framework. Rodgers acknowledged that some of these ambitions depended on the provincial government that was under the ANC, stressing that this was the reason they ultimately wanted to unseat the ruling party.