Johanneburg - The chips must fall where the chips must fall, said the DA's chairman of the federal executive, James Selfe, on Thursday morning.
He said no further negotiations would be held with the EFF.
"We have an understanding with that party and are not negotiating any further. We will put forward our candidate Herman Mashaba for mayor on Monday at the City of Joburg's inaugural meeting and we will see what will happen from there," he said.
Mashaba told The Star on Thursday morning that he was completely in the dark. This was despite reports that negotiations are continuing between the two opposition parties, apparently set to be mediated by UDM leader Bantu Holomisa and Cope leader Mosiuoa Lekota.
The government of the city hangs in the balance as the biggest prize in municipal government looked set to elude the DA on Wednesday, despite a broad opposition coalition to keep the ANC out in almost all the other hung municipalities.
That is because the ANC won the largest share of the vote in the city, so it can only be displaced by an opposition coalition that includes the EFF. But the latter refuses to anoint Mashaba, a tycoon with conservative, pro-business instincts.
The EFF has vowed to help the DA's mayoral candidates - or at least not stand in their way - get elected in all the hung metro councils, except Joburg, where the party will abstain from the mayoral vote.
In another setback for the coalition, DA leader Mmusi Maimane confirmed they had been unable to lure the small African Independent Congress (AIC) to support them in Ekurhuleni but expressed confidence that all was not lost there.
With the AIC voting with the ANC, the ruling party's Mzwandile Masina is likely to be mayor there.
But on Wednesday there was still confidence among the opposition party ranks over their ability to freeze the ANC out of all the Gauteng metros.
Holomisa appeared confident that the Gauteng metros and Nelson Mandela Bay would be under the control of opposition parties.
"We must take responsibility for Joburg as coalition partners. We still have until Monday to fix problems, if any. The talks must continue," he said.
Maimane chipped in that the discussions were ongoing.
Holomisa continued: "Since Zuma ascended to power, we have won many cases against the ANC (as opposition parties).
"These were the easiest negotiations I've been involved in because we have been working together (as the opposition) in Parliament."
Maimane said the parties also wanted to extend their co-operation to Rustenburg in North West, where the ANC had also failed to win a clear majority.
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