Patriotic Alliance to meet with ANC for possible coalition

Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie has confirmed that his party will meet with the African National Congress (ANC) for a possible coalition.

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) declared the 2024 National and Provincial Elections as free and fair. Notably, there is no political party with an outright majority. The ANC which has always polled above 50% plummeted to 40% for the first time since the dawn of democracy.

Essentially, what the results mean that the country will now be governed through coalition. This has been the case in some of the country’s metropolitan municipalities especially in Gauteng after the 2021 local government elections.

PATRIOTIC ALLIANCE AND THE ANC TO ENGAGE IN COALITION TALKS

As per the election results, the ANC lost its majority as support declined from 57% in 2019 to 40%. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is still the official opposition with 22% while former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party is the third-biggest party with 15%.

Gayton McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance is the sixth-biggest political party as it got 330 425 and nine seats in the National Assembly.

McKenzie took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm that they will be meeting with the ANC.

“Full transparency, Patriotic Alliance meeting ANC today for coalition talks, we will not be arrogant in our demands but we will not accept any deal that doesn’t make mass deportation a reality. We will rather go fight in parliament instead. We have a mandate and have no right to change it,” he wrote.

WILL THE THE PA GET THE HOME AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO?

Ahead of the election results announcement, McKenzie said they are going to demand the Home Affairs portfolio during coalition negotiations.

McKenzie has always advocated for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

“Everyone in this country has lost their mind. A state has to prioritise its citizens. Restaurants and shops are largely full of illegal immigrants – and our people must compete against Kenyans, Serbians, Bosnians, all of that, for jobs and services.”

“If the Patriotic Alliance takes over, let me tell you, we start at 9:00 in the morning – by half-past three, all illegal foreigners will be in jail or outside of the country. We are not here to play. I’d previously overstayed my [visa] in Zambia, and was ejected in four days. You can’t just walk into places like the US, either. They hold their government to account,” he said in an interview ahead of the 2021 local government elections.

Earlier this year McKenzie and his party decided to patrol the weakened border hotspot between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

The PA spent five days along the banks of the Limpopo River near Beit Bridge border, preventing the illegal immigrations of Zimbabweans into the country.

McKenzie said he had nothing against the northern neighbours, and had a lot of praise for Zimbabweans and implored on them to redirect their energy in helping to restore their country.