Athol Trollip angry about DA and UDM 'coalition talks'

Former Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality mayor Athol Trollip is angry about talks of a possible coalition between the DA and UDM.

He said it was “another hare-brained scheme” by Helen Zille.

This after news broke that the DA was in talks with the UDM and other small parties to form a coalition government to take over Nelson Mandela Bay.

According to the HeraldLIVE, DA provincial leader Nqaba Bhanga confirmed “secret meetings”, saying they took place with the UDM's regional leadership and it was decided to escalate any possible coalition agreement to the parties' national leadership.

On Twitter, Trollip said it was “outrageous”.

Trollip accused UDM leader Bantu Holomisa of allowing axed mayor Mongameli Bobani to “get away with breaking every provision in the previous coalition agreement”.

Bobani was accused of corruption and removed through a motion of no confidence in December.

"[Holomisa] has insulted everyone in the DA and its leadership, and now he and Helen Zille are in discussions about a coalition after a recent trip to Germany,” said Trollip.

Trollip said Holomisa could not be “trusted in any coalition”.

“This smacks of another hare-brained, ‘Mamphela Ramphele’-type scheme by Zille,” he added.

According to New24, Zille denied the coalition say, saying there were no formal talks and that Trollip “jumped to conclusions”.

Zille was quoted as saying: “It is wrong to pre-empt discussions before they begin, but I think it is safe to say that in this instance, the answer would be no. Given our experiences, we would not be prepared to reinstall Mongameli Bobani as a condition for entering a coalition with the UDM.”