The National Convention of parties looking to unseat the governing African National Congress leadership have gathered at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg to discuss a pre-election agreement.
The two-day convention is expected to see a number of political parties, including the Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), United Independent Movement and the Spectrum National Party, convening to map a collective way forward.
In a joint statement, they said there were a number of points that arose from the national dialogue on coalitions that they believed to be sensible approaches to improving the stability and performance of coalition governments.
The parties said the “Moonshot Pact”, as they have dubbed the grouping, was a viable alternative that South Africans needed that could both achieve a majority in an election and produce stable and effective coalition governance after the 2024 elections.
Professor William Gumede has agreed to chair the National Convention. In the statement, the parties said Gumede was an independent chairperson of the process and was not affiliated with any of the participating parties.
Gumede’s role in the pact conversation would be to manage the process together with a specialist team of technical advisers, including Nerine Kahn, the former CEO of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA).
"This multi-party grouping of parties is committed to presenting South Africans with a compelling alternative vision and direction for our country.
“The basis for this agreement will be an agenda to address the greatest challenges facing our country and inspire the millions of South Africans who have lost hope. This agreement must lay the foundation for a new multi-party government in 2024 that can start the work of moving our country forward again," the Pact said.