By Bulelani Phillip & Phida Essop
Smaller parties in the Democratic Alliance (DA) -led multiparty forum in Cape Town are continually receiving phone calls urging them to withdraw from the alliance.
This is according to African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) mayoral candidate Pauline Cupido. The issue came up during a multiparty forum meeting at the Civic Centre on Thursday morning.
“But all the members of the forum gave us the undertaking that they do not want to be part of any action that would destabilise the city,” she said.
| 'There is no commitment on either side' |
John Thompson, provincial deputy chairperson of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), said the African National Congress (ANC) had invited his party to a meeting on Thursday to discuss a proposal document offering it one sub-council chairpersonship in return for its support.
But the PAC members did not reach an agreement because they wanted to send the document to their party’s national working committee (NWC) for a decision.
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“There is no commitment on either side. The NWC will have to give a final decision and we will abide by that decision,” Thompson said.
Asked if the PAC would continue to abstain from voting in the council, he said this would also depend on a decision by the NWC.
Universal Party councillor Martin Fienies said the Independent Democrats had offered him a bargaining council or sub-council chairman’s seat in return for his support. He had refused “because I’m going to stick to the multiparty agreement”.
| It remains unclear what the ANC offered the party |
United Democratic Movement (UDM) councillor and newly appointed safety and security mayoral committee member Dumisani Ximbi said he and fellow party members had met leader Bantu Holomisa on Wednesday to brief him about their position in the city.
This followed Holomisa’s being asked by the ANC’s Western Cape leadership to persuade his party’s provincial leaders to support the ANC.
Holomisa also met Independent Democrats leader Patricia de Lille, whose party had offered the UDM two mayoral committee seats, three sub-council chairpersonships and four seats on the SA Local Government Association and bargaining council.
The UDM provincial leadership rejected both offers and sent letters to the ID and ANC telling them this.
It remains unclear what the ANC offered the party.
“We will definitely stay in the multiparty forum,” Ximbi said.
The Africa Muslim Party had not received phone calls from other parties, spokesperson Wasfie Hassiem said. It would remain in the forum.
“We will not change our minds because we are morally bound and agreed to and signed this agreement.”
- This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Argus on March 24, 2006
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