Failed DA-Agang merger ‘undemocratic’

Mamphela Ramphele and Helen Zille sealed their political partnership with a kiss during a press conference last week. This weekend Ramphele reneged on the agreement that she stand as the DA's presidential candidate.

Mamphela Ramphele and Helen Zille sealed their political partnership with a kiss during a press conference last week. This weekend Ramphele reneged on the agreement that she stand as the DA's presidential candidate.

Published Feb 3, 2014

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Johannesburg - The failed partnership between the DA and Agang SA was not premised on democratic principles, the ANC in the Eastern Cape said on Monday.

African National Congress elections co-ordinator in the province, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, said DA leader Helen Zille and Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele needed to “deal with their failed brief political fling”, rather than attack the ruling party.

“We trust that this brief fling and how these parties did not consult members... before their political tryst proves to the voters that these parties' decisions are not taken democratically, but by a group of elite friends in boardrooms and tea parties.”

The Democratic Alliance and Agang SA held separate press briefings on Monday to explain why their political partnership lasted less than a week.

Ramphele said on Monday that the proposed merger needed to be approved through an Agang national congress, or by a meeting of the national leadership council and 20 members in good standing.

Zille said Ramphele wanting to retain leadership of Agang was to blame for the split.

Qoboshiyane lashed out at Zille, who said earlier that South Africa could become a failed state under the ANC.

“The remarks by (Zille) ... are misinformed lamentations of an angry jilted political loser the morning after being dumped by her vacillating kissing partner,” he said.

The ANC government had created jobs, delivered water, sanitation, schools, homes, roads and health care during its reign.

“South Africa will only become a failed state the day the DA will rule this country,” he said.

He attributed the brief partnership between Ramphele and the DA to “Zille's political lust to swallow up opposition political parties and to recruit any person just to get power”.

Earlier, Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder also accused the DA of “swallowing up” opposition parties.

“The DA's way is to merge with other parties while the DA still retains its identity,” Mulder said in a statement.

“Often this method only succeeds in accommodating the leaders without the supporters of these parties overwhelmingly supporting the merger.”

Mulder said co-operation between opposition parties was essential to end the ANC's dominant position in the country.

The African People's Convention on Monday said the deal between the DA and Agang SA had nothing to do with a desire to change the political landscape for the good of the country.

“It was an elitist agreement of personal friendship which failed at that level,” APC president Themba Godi said in a statement.

Godi called on those who believed they had been misled into joining Agang SA to vote for the APC.

On Tuesday the DA announced that Ramphele would be its electoral candidate. However, confusion arose on Friday when Ramphele said she had not agreed to become a member of the DA.

On Sunday evening the DA said that Ramphele had reneged on the agreement to be the presidential candidate.

Sapa

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