DA leader John Steenhuisen addresses the media alongside other political party leaders and officials after signing a coalition agreement in February 2022. File picture: Timothy Bernard, African News Agency (ANA)
AS PREPARATIONS for next year's general elections take shape, seven political parties who form part of the “Moonshot Pact” will meet next month to finalise their agreement that they say will unseat the ANC.
In a joint statement on Monday, the political parties said they have chosen Emperor’s Palace because of its historic significance, as it is where Codesa talks were held that heralded in a democratic South Africa.
The political parties to take part in the convention are the Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, National Freedom Party (NFP), United Independent Movement and the Spectrum National Party.
The parties said the 2024 election presents an unprecedented opportunity for the people of South Africa to elect a new government that can steer the country out of the multiple crises it faces.
“The credible prospect of a change in government next year is cause for optimism. But it also places a profound responsibility on the shoulders of opposition parties that want to take South Africa into a fundamentally better direction. As the leaders of seven different political organisations, this is a responsibility we take seriously. We know that many citizens are anxious about the future,” they said in the joint statement.
“We know that they want certainty that the new national government that replaces ANC domination next year will be stable, viable and effective. Above all, they want opposition parties to provide a viable path to achieving the 50%+1 majority we need to form a government without the ANC, the EFF and their proxies that can deliver a prosperous future for all South Africans.”
Furthermore, they said the August 16 and 17 convention will negotiate a pre-election pact.
“Party leaders have agreed on an agenda that will guide negotiations at the convention to ensure that we emerge with the strongest possible agreement. Important items on the agenda include the values and principles that will guide a Pact government, formulation of a joint minimum programme of action, rules of engagement during the upcoming election campaign, and a formula to form a Cabinet after the 2024 election. These items are critical to forming a stable Pact government that can deliver,” they said.
The parties added that they are going to the convention without any predetermined outcomes and that their negotiations will be honest.
“We wish to emphasise that every party leader that has engaged in this process so far has done so voluntarily, and it is for each party to ultimately decide whether it wants to formally join the Pact once negotiations have been concluded at the upcoming national convention.
“There are no predetermined outcomes, and negotiations at the convention will be robust, honest and constructive. The African Christian Democratic Party and Build One South Africa have attended various of our meetings as observers and are yet to decide if they will attend our national convention,” they said.