In the Western Cape municipality of Oudtshoorn, three parties have agreed to work with the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the 2024 national and provincial elections. This, party leader Gayton McKenzie said, was to “join forces to make improvements to the lives of neglected communities, particularly in the Western Cape but also nationally”. 

In a statement published on Tuesday evening, the PA said the three Oudtshoorn-based parties working with it were the Oudtshoorn Gemeenskaps Inisiatief (OGI), Advieskantoor and Saamstaan. According to the statement, “all three party leaders appeared alongside PA president Gayton McKenzie wearing PA t-shirts”. 

McKenzie said the reason for the working relationship, referred to by the PA as a “merger”, was to “defeat both the DA and the ANC in the Western Cape”.

Visit Daily Maverick’s home page for more news, analysis and investigations

The PA said McKenzie invited other parties to follow the example of the Oudtshoorn parties and join the PA, alluding to the biblical story of David and Goliath. “We should not squander our stones. We have one shot in 2024 to take down the giant,” he said.

In the 2014 elections, the PA received 13,263 or 0.07 % of valid votes cast. In 2019, the party received 6,660 or 0.04 % of valid votes. For the 2024 election, the party hopes to be a kingmaker, with McKenzie publicly stating he wants to be president of South Africa in 2024.

Read more in Daily Maverick: “ ‘I will run for President in 2024’, Central Karoo Mayor Gayton McKenzie says after 100 days in office”

According to McKenzie, the mayor of Beaufort West and the Western Cape premier will be elected from the PA in 2024. The 2024 election is a national election, not a local election which impacts council leadership.

#PAVision2024 #GM24
Statement for immediate release: pic.twitter.com/G9B9xudRr8

— Ons Baiza Nie (@OnsBaizaNie) March 7, 2023

Expanding on the relationship, the three parties released a statement on Facebook, saying they had signed agreements to work with the Patriotic Alliance in Oudtshoorn for the general election.

“While the parties retain their own identity and autonomy, it became necessary to work strategically to remove the DA from the Western Cape and the ANC nationally.

“The parties aren’t being absorbed or assimilated by the PA and are still independent Oudtshoorn-based parties.

“Our country is weakening under the ANC, and the DA is clearly not for all people in our province. Changing provincial and national [leadership] is urgently needed and the parties align themselves with the PA as the party to bring this change.”

In September 2022, the Oudtshoorn Courant reported that during a council sitting, councillors Suzane Jansen (PA), Leon Campher (Advieskantoor) and Colan Sylvester (OGI) had been charged with “possible” breaching of the councillors’ code of conduct over an attempt to include Oudtshoorn, Kannaland and Touwsrivier into the Central Karoo District Municipality.

The PA controls the district municipality and McKenzie is its mayor.

Oudtshoorn’s unsteady alliances 

Oudtshoorn, a small Karoo municipality in the Western Cape, was one of 16 hung councils following the 2021 municipal elections.

In the PA’s statement, the three parties were said to be part of “attempts to establish a stable coalition government in the Western Cape”.

Following the 2021 municipal elections, the ANC, which had the most seats in the council, worked with Icosa and the PA to govern and installed 24-year-old Chad Louw as the mayor — he was widely believed to be the youngest mayor in the country. However, by June 2022, the relationship between the parties had soured and Louw was removed in a motion of no confidence brought by Icosa’s Vlancio Donson.

Currently, the municipality is governed by a coalition of the DA, Freedom Front Plus, SuidKaap Saamstaan and Icosa. However, Suid-Kaap Saamstaan councillor Mlandeli Nyuka resigned as deputy mayor in November 2022 after he was taken into custody following an incident at the municipal offices. According to the Oudtshoorn Courant, Nyuka has not yet pleaded to charges, which are deemed “sensitive” and will appear in court again on 14 March. Nyuka remains a councillor. DM