Which coalition would be better for SA? ANC/MK Party or ANC/DA?
Following South Africa's May 29 elections and the African National Congress's loss of an outright majority, there has been much talk about a coalition government, thanks to the rise of the Jacob Zuma-led uMkhonto WeSizwe Party.
Already, the ANC has entered into talks with the likes of the Democratic Alliance and other parties in a bid to work out a coalition government or the Government of National Unity (GNU).
In the latest episode of their podcast, the Overton Pod, journalists, Jonathan Witt and Kanthan Pillay break down which coalition could be the best option for SA.
Kanthan says a DA/MK Party coalition cannot happen, however, the two possible coalitions could be ANC/DA or ANC/MK Party.
Pillay explained that the ANC, coupled with either party get pushed to 200 seats plus one which is what the ANC needs to control Parliament.
"If you have either two of the scenarios, that's a government that cannot be challenged by the rest of the parties," Pillay said.
What does MK Party bring to the party?
Pillay said the MK Party will look at getting nuclear power plants.
"They will probably be Russian-built, but the MK Party will do that. And I think that's great because the single biggest thing that can contribute to the bottom line of the country is going to be cheap power," he said.
Pillay said the MK Party would also look at fracking in the Karoo,
"The single biggest cost right now that we incur is the fact that this country consumes 500,000 barrels of oil per day just to keep the economy ticking over. And currently we are paying for that oil in US dollars. That's money that just flows out of the country. And if we are actually exploiting all of the stuff that's available offshore, we immediately eliminate that," he added.
What does DA bring to the party?
"We know that the DA is very good administratively. We know that the DA is very good at clean governance. We know that almost everything that the DA runs in the Western Cape, they do better than the ANC, across the country for the last 30 years," Pillay said.
He said if the DA had control of safety and security (for example) and the country has a highly competent police force, the knock-on effect for the economy would be huge and impact on the bottom line.
Pillay added that there will also be an uptick in the quality of education and that would impact the bottom line within a five-year period.
Pillay said it will remain up to both parties to persuade the ANC members who remain in Parliament as to who offers the better solution.
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