Herman Mashaba: Freedom Front Plus is more progressive than the DA

The former mayor of Johannesburg, Herman Mashaba, has fired back at the Democratic Alliance (DA) and offered insight into the antagonistic political relationship which foreshadowed a series of high-profile resignations.

Mashaba, who hung up his mayoral chains in October 2019 following a particularly fierce fallout with DA leadership structures in Gauteng, has ventured back into the political fray. Shortly after resigning from his position of power, Mashaba launched The People’s Dialogue; a platform which sought to stimulate conversations around key issues facing South Africa.

The project, which was initially formed as an apolitical structure to address socioeconomic questions of inequality, immigration, corruption and security, is expected to launch as a fully-fledged political force in August 2020. Coinciding with the competition for constituencies, Mashaba recently released a tell-all memoir, entitled The Accidental Mayor: Herman Mashaba and the Battle for Johannesburg, in collaboration with author — and former Chief of Staff — Michael Beaumont.

The Accidental Mayor: Herman Mashaba and the Battle for Johannesburg

The Accidental Mayor chronicles Mashaba’s foray into the political jungle and exposes the sordid state of Johannesburg’s affairs, typified by crumbling infrastructure, rampant crime and an all-encompassing web of corruption embedded by former administrators, the African National Congress (ANC). In addition to detailing the ANC’s destructive legacy of patronage and nepotism, Mashaba’s brutal honesty regarding the DA’s contentious internal workings offered a glimpse into the complexities of coalition governments.

Helen Zille, the DA’s Federal Council Chairperson — whose return to the party’s leadership structures heralded the resignation of former leader Mmusi Maimane and mayor Mashaba – was particularly perturbed by details contained within The Accidental Mayor.

Zille hit back at both Mashaba and Beaumont, saying, with regards to the souring of the personal and professional relationship with the former:

“While many of us had always known that Mashaba didn’t have much of a political compass, it had become progressively clear he had no moral compass either.”

‘Freedom Front Plus more progressive than the DA’

In preparation for political launch of The People’s Dialogue, Mashaba and Beaumont addressed a virtual sitting of the Cape Town Press Club on Wednesday 22 July. In conversation with author Brent Meersman, Mashaba and Beaumont expanded on areas of socio-political concern.

Naturally, the political rabblerousing, between Mashaba and the DA, which has dominated the discourse since the bitter breakup and subsequent exposé, was a topic of extensive discussion. In addition to detailing aspects of the DA’s divisive political approach — which were at loggerheads with fundamental service delivery to the poor residents of Johannesburg — Mashaba revealed cooperative governance strategies were bulldozed by his party’s colleagues in council.

When quizzed about coalition governments — and the official policy held by The People’s Dialogue – Mashaba said that he would be willing to work with the DA but on condition that his former party adhere to the principles of public service and not political subversion. Mashaba explained that the DA had a poor track record of working together with other political parties for the benefit of the poor, using the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) in Gauteng as an example, saying:

“We worked with a councillor from the Freedom Front Plus — an excellent human being — he was actually the chairperson of one of the portfolios. Ask him; ask the Freedom Front Plus, who was in his committee and who were his biggest critics when it came to issues to deal with the poor communities. The DA was.

After every meeting he would come to me, he says ‘I need help, what’s happening here, why is the DA against us doing the right things, because us, as the Freedom Front Plus, we will do these things with our eyes closed’.

So basically what it says to me, if I take the Freedom Front Plus and the current leadership of the DA; Freedom Front Plus is a very progressive political party compared to the DA.”

Mashaba twists the blade

Mashaba’s bold claims add insult to the DA’s injury and, in equal parts, fuel to the feud’s fire.

The DA’s bout of bad luck was arguably hastened by a poor ballot in the 2019 general elections. For the first time since its inception, the party lost support at the polls. While blame was placed on Maimane, data revealed that the FF+ had siphoned off a fair share of DA votes in tightly contested constituencies and, as such, had shown remarkable gains.

In effect, the DA’s dire losses proved to be FF+ gains and, with it, a move by the official opposition party to adopt a more conservative approach to its traditionally liberal campaigning. The FF+, which saw a swell of support in mainly white, Afrikaans districts, has relied on conservative ideals leaning to the right of the political spectrum.

The DA, keen to offset losses in the 2021 municipal elections, has decided to go head-to-head with the FF+, becoming more outspoken on the issue of farm murders and land expropriation without compensation.

In its search for resonance amongst conservatives, the DA runs the risk of isolating black voters and supporters — exemplified by recent cries of racism from party members — while failing to sway the vote of FF+ fans due to liberal leanings. For the DA, which is currently experiencing an internal jostle for power, the predicament of being too liberal for conservatives and too right-leaning for progressive voters puts the party in a prickly position.

Being told that the FF+ has supported more progressive policies — without changing its core mandate — is sure to place further pressure on the DA.