Seven political parties in the country have dedicated two days for a convention in Kempton Park, on the East Rand, that will help guide the coalition they hope to form after the 2024 elections. The Moonshot Pact Convention is set to discuss and formalise terms of agreements that will guide their coalition. Leaders of the parties have been meeting every week for the last three months to find common ground.

It is independently chaired by Wits School of Governance Professor and Democracy Works Executive Director William Gumede who will be guiding the Moonshot Pact which includes the DA, IFP, ActionSA, FF PLUS, United Independent Movement, Spectrum National Party AND ISANCO. In a joint statement this afternoon, the multi-party national convention said they have made solid progress towards pre-election agreement. "Deliberations have been robust yet constructive, and we are pleased to announce that we have agreed that the name of our pre-election agreement will be Multi-Party Charter for South Africa. We have also agreed that our shared vision for the country will be a new government to build a just, inclusive and a prosperous South Africa based on opportunity, freedom and security for all citizens," the statement said. The multi-party coalition has also agreed to prioritise jobs, growing the economy, and ending load-shedding among others.

The Multi-Party Charter for South Africa said its aim is to push out the ANC should it fail to acquire 50% of the voting numbers after the election. However, there are some parties that have expressed concern over the willingness of the DA to work with the ANC in the past.

National Chairperson of ActionSA Michael Beaumont says the Multi-Party Convention is a historic milestone for South Africa. Beaumont said: "It has been difficult and let me say, we are not yet there, the next two days are going to be difficult but certainly the gravity of the moment and the unequivocal voice of South Africans saying 'we see this as an important first step to fixing our country' must hang over all our heads, to remind us that even if we have differences and things over which we disagree, we have to be able to find important common ground to the challenges facing South Africa."

ONE VISION

Gumede is of the opinion that the discussion or merging of parties shouldn't be about hatred for a particular party but rather to establish a minimum core vision for the country. "What would be the common ground for solutions for South Africa going forward? I am hoping at the end that we would have a public agreement and it would be transparently sold to the public. The parties would pledge to that agreement and that pledge will hold them accountable. It is pointless that we sit for two days prior to this convention and agree and there is no accountability. So, the public pledge will really be the accounting mechanism," added Gumede.