EFF: No intention to meet with the DA

The EFF decision follows the recall of United Democratic Movement (UDM) councillor, Mongameli Bobani, as Deputy Executive Mayor in Nelson Mandela Bay. 

In a statement the EFF said it is not in a coalition with the DA and doesn't owe the party any explanation. 

"The very tone and choice of words express in the DA statement demonstrate the supremacist attitude we have been talking about all along. To refer to our decision as 'short sighted' is proof of arrogance, always portraying their point of view as superior. 

The EFF is well aware of the 2016 election outcome in which our people rejected the ANC. The truth however is that this did not translate into the DA being the choice. To operate with an assumption that a rejection of the ANC is an embrace of DA is foolish if at the end of the day you did not win elections," the statement reads. 

Earlier DA Eastern Cape Provincial Leader, Nqaba Bhanga, said the EFF’s decision would only put the power back in the hands of the ANC.

"The fact is that in August 2016, the people of South Africa made it clear that they no longer trusted the ANC to govern. The people of our metros voted for a new beginning and placed their trust in opposition parties.

"The EFF is defying the mandate provided to the opposition by millions of voters, a step which seeks to cripple service delivery and job creation where we govern," said Bhanga.