Marthinus's position in doubt
2004-04-12 07:29
Cape Town - The ANC has added fuel to the fire bubbling around the premiership of the Western Cape when it intimated that it planned to reserve this position for the ANC.
Western Cape ANC leader Ebrahim Rasool allegedly said in Bredasdorp on Saturday that "chances were slim" that Marthinus van Schalkwyk, NNP leader and Western Cape premier, would return to this position after the election.
However, Rasool denied on Sunday that he made this statement and said President Thabo Mbeki would choose the premier.
Serious negotiations among ANC/NNP coalition would follow the elections, Rasool promised.
"If the NNP is weaker after this election, they would have to explain around the negotiating table why they deserve the premiership."
He said the ANC would continue co-operating with the NNP after the elections.
"The composition of the parliament, however, is something the elections will determine.
If the NNP, for example, comes to the negotiating table with only 10%, it would have a difficult task to justify why it should have the premiership," Rasool said.
Meanwhile, the central message at an ANC rally in Khayelitsha on Saturday made it clear that the ANC was aiming to conquer the Western Cape single-handedly.
In reaction, Andre Gaum, NNP spokesperson, asked voters to use their votes to strengthen the NNP's position in government.
"This election is about who will be the senior partner in the Western Cape government and not about the composition of the opposition.
"If the NNP is no longer represented in government, it would result in Afrikaans-speaking people and other minority groups no longer having access to ministerial posts and government," he said.
Theuns Botha, DA leader in the Western Cape, said it was clear that Van Schalkwyk was afraid that the ANC would betray him.
"That is why he took out a political insurance policy by placing his name at the top of the provincial and national NNP parliamentary list."