The African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) have dug in their heels and refused to enter into any coalition agreements with the Democratic Alliance (DA) before the 2024 national elections. 

They have cited the DA's condescending approach to the proposed partnership as their main bone of contention.

Writing to DA leader John Steenhuisen who, during his victory speech, proposed a "moonshot pact" with smaller parties – that, according to him, could drop the African National Congress' (ANC's) electoral support below 40% – UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said they had asked the DA not to use other parties as pawns in its quest to govern nationally.

"The UDM advises that it is not too late for the DA to reconsider its big brother mentality," Holomisa said.

He said the UDM, unlike the DA, would continue to engage all political formations and not pick and choose who they would deal with. 

ACDP deputy president Wayne Thring, in a media statement, echoed similar sentiments to the UDM, saying while it noted Steenhuisen's calls for the establishment of a "pre-election moonshot pact with like-minded political parties, civil society organisations, and civic movements" to defeat the ANC and keep the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) out, the party did not like the DA's approach.

"Any opposition party['s] 'moonshot' political process that fails to be inclusive, to consult properly, and where one single party positions itself as superior to others, will be left hanging in space," Thring said.

He added that the party had been "open and consistent, regarding its position on coalition agreements, which is: We will not enter into any 2024 national election coalition agreements prior to the election itself".

The ACDP and the UDM also cited the DA's attempt to "hijack" an initiative already started by Holomisa, who is said to have called a meeting of all opposition parties on 15 March in central Cape Town, to put together a framework to "save" South Africa from the ANC. 

"The guest speaker at this meeting was political economist and analyst, Mr Moeletsi Mbeki. The DA was present at this meeting, and it appears they now seek to take this initiative from General Holomisa. Mr Steenhuisen should have taken a leaf from the general's book by consulting party leaders first, thereby bringing them into his confidence. The general also did not announce a coalition pact from his elective conference," said Thring. 

He added that, "in any coalition agreement, there are negotiations about terms and conditions, structures, meetings, strategies and so on. No one party can assume to have the monopoly on all of these".

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba has also warned Steenhuisen not to make the formation of a united opposition about the DA or his leadership. 

Despite this, Mashaba confirmed on Wednesday morning that his party had responded to the DA, and had expressed a willingness to meet and engage further over developing a multiparty opposition platform to unseat the ANC. 

Speaking during the DA's federal congress over the weekend, Steenhuisen said the party would initiate a process to form a pact to stop an ANC-EFF coalition from running the country.

"[The DA] will immediately initiate a process to form a pre-election moonshot pact with like-minded political parties, civil society organisations, and the civic movements to defeat the ANC, to keep the EFF out," he said in his address to delegates.

He also declared the EFF and its leader Julius Malema as the DA's ultimate enemy, adding that his party would consolidate all its efforts towards keeping them out of power.