DA files complaint over ’misleading clickbait’ indicating it was open to a coalition with ANC

DA leader John Steenhuisen File picture: African News Agency (ANA)

DA leader John Steenhuisen File picture: African News Agency (ANA)

Published Mar 1, 2021

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Cape Town – The DA has filed a complaint with the Press Ombudsman following a Sunday Times article that appeared in the newspaper yesterday.

Based on an hour-long interview with DA Federal Leader John Steenhuisen, DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone MP said in a statement today the opening sentence of this article ’’sought to create the impression that the DA was open to a coalition agreement with the ANC’’.

Mazzone said this was never stated in the interview and is a misrepresentation of the DA’s position on the issue, calling it an attempt at ’’clickbait’’.

She emphasised that when Steenhuisen spoke of the possibility of working together with the ANC, he didn’t mention coalitions.

’’He spoke of reaching out to the reformers in the party who are in favour of a pro-growth agenda and seeking their support in backing a reform agenda when tabled in Parliament.’’

Mmusi Maimane, Steenhuisen’s predecessor, posted on Twitter on Sunday that the DA opening the door for a possible coalition with the ANC under a Cyril Ramaphosa presidency in 2024 is an admission of defeat and a recognition that they can’t grow.

’’John and Helen (Zillle) do not care about fixing the problems of this nation. They care about the Western Cape and maintaining power there.

’’They have given up on the national project and are now going back to the historic voters of the party and abandoning the rest. Its obvious," Maimane said.

But Mazzone said in the interest of fair and accurate reporting, the DA has asked the ombudsman to compel the Sunday Times to retract the article and print a correction

The opening sentence of the article claims the following, Mazzone said: “DA leader John Steenhuisen has opened the door to a possible coalition with the ANC should there be a stalemate in the 2024 elections - but only if President Cyril Ramaphosa is still its leader.”

’’That is not what Steenhuisen said to the two interviewers, a full recording of which can be heard here. When he spoke of the possibility of working together with the ANC, he didn’t mention coalitions.

’’He spoke of reaching out to the reformers in the party who are in favour of a pro-growth agenda and seeking their support in backing a reform agenda when tabled in Parliament.

’’He spoke of the need for pro-growth, pro-reform and pro-Constitution people to start talking to each other, and that a strong party at the centre - i.e. the DA - makes a good ally for a reform agenda within the ANC to find backing.

’’That’s not the same as claiming that the DA is willing to enter into coalitions with the ANC, and this needs to be corrected by the Sunday Times.

’’The other sentence that needs to be corrected states the following: ’Steenhuisen’s stance marks a significant departure for the DA, which has long been opposed to any co-operation with the ANC’.

’’This is simply not true. Not only has the DA under Steenhuisen’s leadership repeatedly extended a hand across the aisle to whichever reformers remain in the ANC, this has also been the consistent position of the previous DA Federal leader, Mmusi Maimane, who often spoke of building a new majority by co-operating with those in the ANC who share the DA’s values and vision for South Africa.’’

Mazzone added: ’’This idea of realigning politics to build a new majority around shared values - including reaching out to the reformers in the ruling party - has been a consistent DA message.

’’The claim in the Sunday Times article that the DA has long been opposed to any such co-operation is simply not true and seeks to create the impression that this has somehow changed under Steenhuisen’s leadership. It also needs to be corrected.

’’From the recording of the interview, it is clear that Steenhuisen’s answers were not accurately reflected in these parts of the article. His answers stated that the DA intends to be the strong party of a new, realigned majority built around shared values.

’’It intends to be the bulwark against the creep of the radical left in the guise of the ANC’s RET faction and the EFF, who have already launched their fightback campaign.

’’It intends to give a voice to the excluded and marginalised, and break the insider/outsider economy. And it has no intention of strengthening one faction of the ANC over the other.

’’It is unfortunate that a few lines in the Sunday Times article, introduced as clickbait, have been allowed to dilute this message.’’

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