This limited series newsletter offers deep dives and timely updates from the Mail & Guardian’s esteemed politics and elections team. Your essential guide through South Africa’s pivotal elections, enriched by our historic journey from apartheid to democracy. Allow us to connect the past, present, and future of our nation’s democratic evolution.
This week we sat down with Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen. We focus on that party, where they are at, what they want and a dash of where they have come from.
The Democratic Alliance has not completely shut the door on a coalition with the ANC, if its Multi-Party Charter alliance fails in its objective of unseating the governing party in the 29 May general elections, DA leader John Steenhuisen said.
Former DA leader Helen Zille told the M&G that her views on working with Ramaphosa’s ANC had changed. In her opinion, working with the governing party now would destroy the DA. // READ MORE
Speaking to the M&G this week, Steenhuisen said the Constitution is very clear about who can serve as president and what qualifications are required. // READ MORE
From before apartheid | Where have the DA come from?
HE SAID IT
Speaking to the Mail & Guardian this week, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the Constitution is very clear about who can serve as president and what qualifications are required.
“If we want to exclude 87% of the population because they don’t have a degree from getting public offers, I think that’s very elitist and I think it’s very exclusionary,” he said.
“Nothing I learnt in politics had any bearing whatsoever on what politics is really about.”
“There’s nothing I would have learned in university that I haven’t learnt over the last 23 years of being an activist, being a councillor, being a member of a provincial legislature and being a member of parliament, a chief whip and a leader of a political party that could stand me in better stead to be able to lead here.”
EFF leader, Julius Malema, sat down with the Mail & Guardian’s Lizeka Tandwa for a one-on-one interview. Malema has to decide whether the party’s Deputy President, Floyd Shivambu, is the right person to lead the election battle in the hotly contested province of KwaZulu-Natal. Also, he said that the door was still open to collaboration with the DA and MK parties after the elections, but not with ANC’s Ramaphosa.
Our commitment at the Mail & Guardian is to ensure every reader enjoys the finest experience. Join the M&G community and support us in delivering in-depth news to you consistently.
Subscribers get access to all premium articles & features, amongst other benifits.