Tshwane - Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie on Wednesday said that he could not contain his excitement, as the green party made major inroads in the City of Johannesburg – almost doubling their seats compared to previous elections.
“We are very very excited. We are not surprised but just excited because we have worked so hard. We were expecting what you see now. We are not shocked about this. We knew we are going to be king makers,” McKenzie said, while viewing the results at the national results operations centre (ROC), at the Tshwane Showgrounds.
McKenzie said, in the Western Cape, the party was part of hung councils and that they were now looking at increasing their footprint in the City of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros.
By 4pm, the overall results on the IEC board showed that the PA had firmly clinched 48 seats so far.
McKenzie and PA deputy president Kenny Kunene, meanwhile, could be seen holding talks with different political parties on the floor at the ROC.
Some of those talks included words shared with the DA's Helen Zille and Action SA leader Herman Mashaba
Meanwhile, McKenzie said they were willing to go into bed with anyone at this stage.
“For us, we have no preference ... whether it's the DA, EFF, or whatever. We are willing to go with anyone that gives our people what we think they deserve, particularly coloured people, because they have been neglected.”
He said the PA's representation in municipalities would ensure that coloured people are considered and would be respected – like black, white and Indian people.
“We are willing to work with every political party because they are not taking us over. Our ideology is fighting poverty, getting housing and jobs for our people, and better living conditions. We don't want to be taken over by other parties, that's why we want to form a coalition that agrees that illegal foreigners must go home, that coloured people must get better treatment,” he said.
ntombi.nkosi@inl.co.za
Political Bureau