Pretoria – A bitter divorce battle between the DA and the Metsimaholo Civic Association in the Free State is looming as the parties ready themselves to air their dirty linen in public.
DA Free State leader Patricia Kopane said the honeymoon period between the opposition and the new party, formed by the province’s residents, was over, citing irreconcilable differences.
“The coalition has definitely collapsed. We will still go ahead with tabling our motion of no confidence against the mayor,” said Kopane.
Her comments come days after the party withdrew its vote against the association’s chairperson and current mayor Sello Hlasa, saying he didn't have enough time to respond to allegations levelled against him.
The two parties entered into a coalition agreement after last year’s local government elections in a bid to remove the ANC from power.
With only 12 seats, the DA joined forces with the association, which only had two seats at the time, and gained the support of the EFF which had eight seats. For a party to govern in the municipality it needs 21 seats. Now that agreement has collapsed.
But an unfazed Hlasa said the feeling was mutual and he was ready to expose the party as "power hungry".
“I also no longer want them (the DA). They are obsessed with power and running the municipality. They wanted the mayorship so badly at our expense. Now that they don’t have it, they resort to silly tactics. It’s disgraceful,” he said.
Hlasa said he was not going anywhere. “They must re-submit that motion of theirs. I’m not going to do their homework for them. They will have to substantiate their claims. Once they have, they will then need to give me 14 days to prepare my legal arguments once again. I’m prepared to go in circles and play their game if they want me to,” he said
Hlasa said the association wasn't interested in a pact with the EFF, but wasn't ruling out one with the ANC.