ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said on Tuesday that his party is committed to putting aside all past experiences with the Democratic Alliance (DA) to work together in the interests of service delivery, fighting corruption and job creation.

Mashaba said this was demonstrated by the party on Monday when it voted for the DA in the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros.

ActionSA noted DA leader John Steenhuisen’s remarks on Tuesday, in which he appears to have extended the “olive branch of coalition” to political parties. 

Mashaba said this new approach is a radical improvement from the “bulldozing of coalition” discussions with the DA last week, and is a welcome improvement. 

He explained that ActionSA used its votes on Monday to elect DA mayors because the collapsing of coalition arrangements and refusal of the DA to negotiate meant the alternative would have been African National Congress governments in these cities. 

“While Mr Steenhuisen’s newfound respect for coalition parties is positive it is more likely the product of the DA finding itself leading minority coalition arrangements without agreements in place – exactly where it didn’t want to be. As we have committed to in the past, we will be open about these negotiations to ensure that the nature of all proposals prioritise the needs of residents. This is particularly important given that this should have been done before mayors were elected,” he said.