ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont on Tuesday assured KwaDukuza residents that his party will forge ahead with other political parties despite the Democratic Alliance’s (DA’s) decision to pull out of talks to form a new coalition government in the KwaDukuza Municipality.

The DA pulled out of talks on Monday, after it accused ActionSA of “several fundamentally untenable and potentially illegal demands”.

Coalition parties are hoping to unseat the African National Congress (ANC) in KwaDukuza, on the North Coast, when it tables a motion of no confidence on Thursday against the mayor, deputy mayor, chief whip and speaker.

Beaumont stressed that all those who vote on Thursday will eventually show whether they stand with the ANC or with the residents of KwaDukuza.

“We will work tirelessly to ensure that the best alternative is put on the table and that we serve the residents of KwaDukuza,” he said.

ActionSA, the Independent Alliance (IA) and the African Independent Congress (AIC) met on Tuesday to continue coalition talks without the DA, however, Beaumont extended an invitation to the DA to rejoin the talks.

The IA and AIC both affirmed that they would support the motion against current KwaDukuza mayor Lindi Nhaca and her counterparts.

They called for opposition parties to set aside differences to help unseat the ANC.

The DA said on Monday that ActionSA’s demands were problematic and, because of them, the coalition government would not be a credible alternative to the ANC in KwaDukuza.

“…because practices like cadre deployment and interference in budget processes would have continued unabated,” the DA said.

It explained that in the draft coalition agreement, “ActionSA insisted on the inclusion of a clause that would compel selection panels to report to an unelected political party committee. This proposal mirrors the ANC cadre deployment policy that was recently described as unconstitutional and illegal by the Zondo Commission, and which the DA is seeking to abolish through a court application.”

The DA also accused ActionSA of trying to create a political budget steering committee to manipulate the creation of budgets in the municipality.

“There is no provision in law for unelected politicians to interfere in a legally-defined budget process, and the DA therefore also rejected this outrageous attempt by ActionSA to execute State capture in KwaDukuza municipality,” the DA said.

The DA further distanced itself from any collaboration with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which it said ActionSA was inclined to.

“The DA has consistently made it clear that we will not negotiate agreements with the EFF, and that is a principle we will not violate for the sake of political expediency,” it said.

The DA added that it would resume talks with ActionSA if it abandoned its proposals.

ActionSA hit back against the accusations and explained that it wanted the multi-party coalition to be consulted on the appointment of senior managers in vital positions.

“These appointments are made in Council by Councillors and are strategic to the change that must be delivered by a coalition government. Without the support of a majority in Council, these appointments cannot be made. This necessitates meaningful consultation to reach consensus,” ActionSA said.

It clarified that it wanted input from the new coalition government on the annual budgeting process, in line with the Municipal Systems Act and supporting legislation.

“Without input from the new coalition, wasteful expenditure – like the millions spent on VIP Protection, conferences, travel and catering – cannot be redirected to priorities like infrastructure and reliable services. The DA bizarrely characterised this as state capture, but it is how change is delivered when the ANC is removed,” ActionSA said.

“ActionSA, alongside other parties, remains committed to removing the ANC and installing this coalition because it is what the residents of KwaDukuza deserve. I encourage the DA to similarly prioritise the needs of KwaDukuza residents over the petty political point-scoring that informed their statement,” Beaumont said.