THE South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA) has accused the DA of treating smaller parties with disrespect.
This week, DA leader John Steenhuisen was criticised for disrespecting other smaller parties as the road to the May 29 elections hots up amid a surge in support for the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP).
Some polls have put support for the MKP at 13%.
Steenhuisen recently said he had created the Multi-Party Charter to safeguard the country’s future, warning that the alternative, which includes the ANC, the MKP and the EFF, would yield a so-called ‘Doomsday Coalition’, which would turn the country into another Venezuela or Zimbabwe.
Steenhuisen is quoted as saying a clear doomsday choice awaits voters at the polls, adding that they could either go with the ANC, the MKP and the EFF, or throw their support behind a bloc which it has spearheaded by choosing Multi-Party Charter (MPC) partners.
Steenhuisen was speaking this week during the launch of his organisation’s Rescue South Africa Tour.
“Under the ‘Doomsday Coalition’ – including parties such as the ANC, EFF and MK – this is a future, mark my words democrats, where South Africa will rapidly descend into the chaos we see in other countries that have adopted radical policies,” he told party supporters.
This comes just days after Steenhuisen went on a similar political drive in the Western Cape, where he accused certain smaller political parties of wanting to loot the province.
He labelled them political opportunists out “to line their own pockets”, and not so much interested in opposing the ANC as ruining the good governance that the DA had built in the province.
Reacting to Steenhuisen’s recent utterances, SARA leader Colleen Makhubele said the time had come for the DA to choose its leaders correctly as Steenhuisen had become ‘disrespectful’ towards smaller parties outside the MPC.
“Perhaps it’s time the DA admits their unfortunate error in choosing John Steenhuisen as a face for their campaign. I would have liked to say such a ‘leader’ but it would be too respectful and generous of me, like ‘throwing pearls to a swine’.
“John Steenhuisen must stop the childish psychotic politics borrowed from the apartheid propagandist, telling our people not to vote for small parties outside of the ‘funder-forced multiparty marriage’.
“We understand his panic attacks as he daily watches his fantasy prospects of occupying the Union Buildings’ high seat diminish into thin air. It is frustrating for the desperate John,” she said.
Makhubele, who is both her party’s national and Gauteng premier candidate, indicated that the DA leader had crossed the boundaries of what is permissible during elections.
“But he crossed boundaries in the most disrespectful way to black people to imply the electorate has no capacity as individual citizens to choose who to vote for.
“Regardless of whether it is technically legal or not, it pushes the boundaries inappropriately to blanket imply that (a vote for) parties outside of the ‘funder-forced multiparty marriage’ is a vote for the ANC, EFF and MKP. This is misleading, disingenuous and childish politics.
“As such, we are extremely disappointed in the practices from those who consider themselves senior in the political space. What a painful and disgraceful reminder of white know-it-all supremacy,“ Makhubele added.
The DA has yet to respond to the questions sent by The Star on some of the recent statements made by its leader.
This is a developing story and will be updated with the DA’s response to some of the issues raised by SARA.
The Star