Johannesburg - EFF leader Julius Malema has hinted that the party might relent and vote with the DA to make its candidate, Herman Mashaba, Johannesburg mayor.
Malema told 702 on Wednesday afternoon that ANC mayoral candidate Parks Tau would definitely not be mayor, and although the EFF had strong objections to Mashaba, if he were to be elected, "so be it".
Malema said the EFF did not like Mashaba because "he hates his blackness" and because of his perceived disrespect for the poor.
Malema also said Mashaba did not have sufficient experience to govern Johannesburg.
Speaking to News24 earlier on Wednesday, Mashaba said if the DA asked him to step down, he would "do it yesterday".
But he also said the EFF's condition was strange and awkward.
"How did they expect the DA to respond to something like this? I have been put through very rigorous processes and campaigned for more than 18 months. Maybe they know something we don't know. Maybe the EFF has a valid reason for setting this condition. It's just very awkward."
DA leader Mmusi Maimane earlier at a media conference confirmed that the EFF had objected to voting with the DA for Mashaba, but said that his party had "institutions" it had to respect and as Mashaba was its candidate, it could not put up someone else.
Eating the elephant that is the ANC
He said, however, that he also did not want to see the ANC govern Johannesburg, "because otherwise I would not be in politics".
Malema told 702 that even though "irritations" remained with the DA, working with the party was the only way that the opposition "can eat that elephant that is the ANC bit by bit".
Speaking in Alexandra earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Malema told reporters that the red berets would not be going into coalitions with any party but would vote with certain parties in various councils.
The DA is set to go into a coalition with various opposition parties that would allow it to govern Nelson Mandela Bay metro, and the EFF has undertaken to vote with the party in Tshwane so that Solly Msimanga can become the mayor there.
A beaming Maimane told reporters that the DA had agreed on coalitions with Cope, the ACDP, FF Plus, UDM and the IFP for 27 hung councils around the country.
He said the DA had tried to negotiate with the EFF, but "it's quite clear that we will never agree on some ideological issues".
- Find everything you need to know about the 2016 Local Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections, or download the app for iOS and Android.
http://www.news24.com/Elections/News/if-mashaba-is-elected-so-be-it-malema-20160817
Malema told 702 on Wednesday afternoon that ANC mayoral candidate Parks Tau would definitely not be mayor, and although the EFF had strong objections to Mashaba, if he were to be elected, "so be it".
Malema said the EFF did not like Mashaba because "he hates his blackness" and because of his perceived disrespect for the poor.
Malema also said Mashaba did not have sufficient experience to govern Johannesburg.
Speaking to News24 earlier on Wednesday, Mashaba said if the DA asked him to step down, he would "do it yesterday".
But he also said the EFF's condition was strange and awkward.
"How did they expect the DA to respond to something like this? I have been put through very rigorous processes and campaigned for more than 18 months. Maybe they know something we don't know. Maybe the EFF has a valid reason for setting this condition. It's just very awkward."
DA leader Mmusi Maimane earlier at a media conference confirmed that the EFF had objected to voting with the DA for Mashaba, but said that his party had "institutions" it had to respect and as Mashaba was its candidate, it could not put up someone else.
Eating the elephant that is the ANC
He said, however, that he also did not want to see the ANC govern Johannesburg, "because otherwise I would not be in politics".
Malema told 702 that even though "irritations" remained with the DA, working with the party was the only way that the opposition "can eat that elephant that is the ANC bit by bit".
Speaking in Alexandra earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Malema told reporters that the red berets would not be going into coalitions with any party but would vote with certain parties in various councils.
The DA is set to go into a coalition with various opposition parties that would allow it to govern Nelson Mandela Bay metro, and the EFF has undertaken to vote with the party in Tshwane so that Solly Msimanga can become the mayor there.
A beaming Maimane told reporters that the DA had agreed on coalitions with Cope, the ACDP, FF Plus, UDM and the IFP for 27 hung councils around the country.
He said the DA had tried to negotiate with the EFF, but "it's quite clear that we will never agree on some ideological issues".
- Find everything you need to know about the 2016 Local Government Elections at our News24 Elections site, including the latest news and detailed, interactive maps for how South Africa has voted over the past 3 elections, or download the app for iOS and Android.
http://www.news24.com/Elections/News/if-mashaba-is-elected-so-be-it-malema-20160817
