The political parties that converged in Kempton Park from Wednesday to Thursday have signed a multiparty charter, aimed at ushering in a new era for South Africa.
The leaders of seven political parties, including the DA, ActionSA, and FFplus, hope their plan will win the hearts and minds of South African voters and position them to unseat the ANC in next year’s general election.
The signing of the historical pact comes as many political observers and players say the 2024 elections, which coincide with the country’s 30th anniversary of democracy, will be a watershed moment for the country as it navigates through electoral legislation changes and an ANC-weary electorate that’s keen to take risks in a bid to steer the country into a different direction from the corruption-riddled one that it is currently on.
The Independent Chairperson of the Multi-Party National Convention, Professor William Gumede, says the Multi-Party Charter will not entertain any working arrangement or co-governing agreements with the ANC, EFF or any rival formations.
The signatories to it, he says, will also not vote for any office bearers from those parties.
Gumede says the only way to build a future for everyone is to work together.
While the scholar pointed out how unsuccessful coalition governments have been in the past, he assured South Africans that the members of this multi-party agreement are committed to its vision and mission.
“It is important to emphasise that in this kind of coalition every party will still have individual identity and they will compete in the elections based on the individual identities but part of a coalition. It is very new in a South African circumstance,” Gumede said.
And while the official leader will be voted on after the hotly contested elections, Gumede did reveal that they have agreed that the leader of the biggest party in the bloc will become leader of government business. A point that puts the Democratic Alliance at pole position.
Gumede says the parties have committed to create a fully-fledged policy document, in the coming months, based on the pillars they have agreed on.
Political analyst, Dr Sam Koma, says while the Moonshot Pact leaders are banking on the ANC to dip below the 50% electoral mark, their hope might not be an easy feat to achieve.
In order for them to achieve that, Koma charges, the parties will have to work very hard to attract the voters.
One of South Africa’s top economists, Dawie Roodt, says while he sees this as the start of the end of the ANC, it will take a number of years before the pact leaders can successfully achieve their goal.
Roodt has warned that over the next years, South Africans should anticipate more pacts to mushroom in a continued bid to unseat the governing party.
Meanwhile, the ANC says it’s not fazed by the multi-party, with party spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu – Motsiri saying the governing party is not worried as its roots are deeply embedded within.
Bhengu-Motsiri says the governing party is steadfast in winning outright when South Africans head to the polls next year.
The Moonshot Pact consists of seven parties the DA, ActionSA, IFP, FF Plus, Isanco, UIM and SNP
