Cape Town - In an unexpected development, rival councillors from the DA and the ANC have jumped into bed in the Kannaland municipality, seemingly without the knowledge of their political leadership, opting to vote out controversial Icosa leader, Jeffrey Donson and keep his party out of power.
The odde alliance comes despite the DA nationally publicly shunning the ANC while wooing the EFF.
But in the Klein Karoo town of Ladismith, DA councillors and their ANC counterparts warmed up to each other in recent days after Icosa again obtained the majority of votes in the Kannaland municipality.
News about the impending ANC/DA deal was already doing the rounds, but was sealed during Kannaland’s first council meeting on Tuesday when the DA and ANC voted together.
Dubbed the “unholy alliance” by Icosa members, the ANC on Tuesday took up the mayoral post while the DA took the Speaker's seat with no deputy mayor being elected during the meeting.
DA and ANC Western Cape leaders were seemingly surprised by the move, each denying there was alliance between the two parties.
Donson, Kannaland’s outspoken mayor, who up until the August 3 polls led the town’s council, had irked the DA and the ANC councillors so that they opted to work together.
And while historically Icosa had always worked with the ANC, local ANC members were against an alliance and were instead eager to get in bed with their arch-rivals.
Even Icosa was taken by surprise, as ANC and the DA insiders conceded their local ward candidates were reluctant to work with Donson.
Donson said he caught wind of the move prior to Tuesday’s council meeting.
“They’ve made their bed so they must lay in it. But they must remember that both parties are going against the wishes of the majority of the electorate who voted for Icosa.
“Effectively they are saying no to the thousands of coloured people of this region who voted for Icosa,” he added.
ANC provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs said he was surprised by the local arrangement, but conceded their members on the ground were not happy with the previous coalition with Icosa and how it was managed.
“There’s no formal DA coalition or agreement with the DA. I’ve asked for a report from the regional leadership. We note that the DA voted with the ANC in Kannaland and our commitment to the local people is to ensure that the community of Kannaland gets a good and effective local government that is accountable to the people,” Jacobs said.
DA leader Patricia de Lille could not be reached for comment, but the DA’s manager in the East Region, Jaco Londt, said there was no coalition agreement between the DA and the ANC in Kannaland.
“Neither the regional, provincial nor federal structures of the DA approved any coalition. The local councillors worked together to keep Jeffrey Donson, a convicted child rapist, out of power,” Londt said.
He stressed the DA would find out what transpired at the meeting before making further comments.