The DA federal chair, Helen Zille, said efforts to reach an agreement with the ANC have reached a breaking point. In a media briefing yesterday, Zille said that despite progress in negotiations, the DA and the ANC have not yet reached an agreement on forming a Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) in Gauteng.

Zille said the ANC was not in a position to decide or dictate the terms of Gauteng's governance as if they had won the elections. "We are not prepared to be co-opted by the ANC on their terms alone. Acting as if the ANC still has an overall majority in Gauteng, which it does not. We cannot agree to be taken hostage in the Government of Provincial Unity, in which only one party dictates the terms,' she said.

Disputing three MEC positions offered to them by the ANC, Zille said the ANC agreed to keep six cabinet seats plus the Premier and give one to the IFP or the PA and three to the DA. "Till now, the ANC has been prepared to offer the DA a maximum of three out of 10 cabinet seats, without telling us how many seats they intend to take for themselves or how many they propose to offer to other parties. "This approach was not conducive to building an atmosphere of trust. We wanted clarity on these issues. The ANC today conceded that they had intended to allocate three seats to the DA, and seven to themselves, out of a cabinet of 11 (including the ANC premier). This division falls far short of the requirements set out in Clause 16 of the Declaration of Intent, given that the DA comprises 45% and the ANC 55% of the GPU,' Zille said, adding that this will be a violation of the proportionality clause. "We are not prepared to be co-opted by the ANC on their terms alone. This has to be a power-sharing arrangement. We are prepared to enter the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) in Gauteng based on a power-sharing partnership that reflects the will of the voters in the province,' Zille added. The ANC will brief the media on the new developments relating to the formation of the GPU in Gauteng this morning at 11. The briefing will be held at Luthuli House.