It’s time for the DA to pay for shielding political nonentities like Tertius Simmers

By: Kenny Kunene

Democratic Alliance interim provincial leader Tertius Simmers was quoted over the weekend in media report calling the Central Karoo District mayorship of Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie “political thuggery”.

The fact that the article was riddled with untruths was not the biggest problem. The real issue was the truths it did contain, such as the revelation that the DA had been trying to do a deal with the ANC in an attempt to undermine the PA and to ensure McKenzie did not become the district mayor.

The ANC was never going to entertain or contemplate this idea. The PA’s coalition with the ANC was not even tested by the DA and Tertius Simmers’ very strange plots and plans came to nothing, except to sour the DA’s relationship with the PA.

We can only wonder what the DA electorate will think about the DA’s desperation to work with the ANC in the Western Cape. This very same DA is currently in a coalition with the PA in two municipalities in the Western Cape: Knysna and Matzikama.

The PA and the DA previously came close to finding each other in other municipalities, including Theewaterskloof. The idea of trying to work together on projects such as these has not been done any favours by Tertius Simmers.

The PA is currently also working with the DA in Gauteng metros of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.

No DA leader in Gauteng or nationally has plotted with the ANC against us there, nor insulted us, so these metro coalitions will remain in place and strong, and we owe it to the other parties we signed agreements with there to continue to honour our commitments.

We recognise that residents need stable coalition governments, although that cannot happen at all costs.

As for the DA in the Western Cape, they clearly seem to believe that they would rather work with the ANC than with the PA – so we would encourage them to keep trying that and see how it goes for them.

Accordingly, we shall be withdrawing from the two Western Cape coalitions we are currently involved in with the DA and we shall not entertain further proposals from the likes of Tertius Simmers and whatever he thinks he’s trying to achieve for the DA in the Western Cape.

We shall also actively work against the interests of the DA in the Western Cape, wherever and whenever possible, and we would like to remind them that this is based entirely on their provincial leader’s attitude towards us.
Ons baiza nie. Salute.

*Kenny Kunene is the deputy president of the Patriotic Alliance