Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

3-minute read
01 December 2023 | 16:56 CAT

The Multi-Party Charter met with leaders of civil organisations. Ditiro Selepe/News24

The DA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, ActionSA, NFP, UIP, and SNP will join forces for the 2024 elections to unseat the ANC.

Cognisant that fixing governance in South Africa is no small feat, the eight parties in the Multi-Party Charter of South Africa hosted a gathering of various civil society organisations to get their take on how South Africa’s political landscape needs to change.

Chairperson of the session and DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube said the formation’s first civil society gathering aimed to learn from and exchange ideas with civil society organisations.

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont, who believes coalition governance is the future of South African politics, said all sectors of the nation need the parties to put their differences aside and talk about change in South Africa.

“This charter needs to be more receptive to civil society than our government has proven to be. We need to listen. We need to recognise that the heart of our listening is the idea that we don’t have all of the answers. We need to listen to those people who are in specific industries and understand both the challenges that are facing South Africans and how they need to be addressed.”

Beaumont added that the collaborative and consultative process needs to go beyond the elections. “This cannot be another talk show. It cannot be another cosmetic exercise for the cameras. There is so much work to do, and ActionSA wants to see this charter continuously commit to the conversation.”

Beaumont predicts the African National Congress (ANC) will fall below 50% in next year’s election.

“I think that is now common cause across South Africa, the only debate is how far below 50%, what permutations may arise from that; but certainly their majority will be lost is the fact that brings us all together,” he explained.

He highlighted that coalitions were the future of South Africa despite noting that the experience around local government coalitions could have been better.

“And that is why these parties have come together long before an election, a historical first, and developed a pre-election agreement so that a coalition government which follows nationally or provincially can deliver better experiences for South Africans, with greater stability, and change, at the heart of its agenda,” he said.

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie.