The Independent Democrats (ID) in Cape Town have vowed to abstain in any vote that would hand control of the city council to the African National Congress, the Cape Argus reported on Thursday.
Its website quoted ID caucus leader Simon Grindrod as saying: ”We have told the ANC: ‘Don’t count on us’.”
Grindrod denied in an interview on Wednesday there was anything like a coalition with the ANC.
When pressed to define the limits of the ID’s engagement with the former ruling party, he said: ”In a vote that would give power to the ANC [in the city], we would abstain.”
Grindrod made these remarks to underscore his objection to what he described as mayor Helen Zille’s attempts to discredit the ID by implicating it in ”plotting and planning to bring about the downfall of her government”.
”We are saying the ID is not the enemy. If you stop hammering us, we will show we are not the enemy.”
Grindrod said his party could be useful to the Democratic Alliance, and provide support on delivery and fighting corruption.
”By branding us as insurgents and terrorists, she [Zille] is making it difficult for us to vote with her. If the DA start treating us with respect, they might get better results.”
The Argus reported that the seeming about-turn over support for the ANC also came after a public backlash from ID supporters. They had criticised the party for supporting the ANC in the voting for a new executive mayor after the March 1 local-government election.
Grindrod acknowledged that the public image of the ID had suffered after its voting with the ANC on the mayoral and other issues. The party could regain trust by showing it was independent and not part of a coalition, he added.
”It is my responsibility in the metro to build trust, and we can do that by displaying our independence and by explaining how we act,” he said.
”We do not hand a blank cheque to anyone. We will act on principle, and I do not give a damn if it hurts the ANC or not. In this way people might see that we are independent.”
Zille’s spokesperson Robert Macdonald said: ”The ID has not once opposed the ANC in vote, and has supported it on nearly every vote, including voting for Nomaindia Mfeketo as mayor.” — Sapa