Helen Zille responded to a survey by the Social Research Foundation, which found that 36% of sampled voters believed the ANC was the best partner for the DA if the ANC falls below 50% in the next polls.

Zille, currently the DA Federal Council Chairperson, stated that the ANC is a party that "breaks everything" and the DA does not agree with the idea of them being a fitting partner.

This contradicts statements by her and several other leaders over the past few years, which suggest that the ANC is indeed being considered for national coalition.

The first time a party member floated the idea was in Leon Schreiber’s 2018 book, Coalition Country. However, Zille herself was famously caught on tape declaring that the main plan for the party was to consolidate support at 22% before entering into a coalition with the ANC. Zille claims this was “a set-up”. Other party members have since made arguments in favour of considering such a coalition, including Geordin Hill-Lewis, Solly Msimanga, and John Steenhuisen.

Zille has previously argued that preventing the EFF from getting into government is an existential matter, and therefore that all possibilities must be considered to save what of South Africa can be saved. Despite this, the party is firmly opposed to any radical measures to devolve governance in the Cape, and secession in particular, famously denying the possibility or desirability of a referendum.

The polling performance of the Moonshot Pact, which consists of the DA and most other non-Charterist parties, has not yet shown the potential for achieving majority support, leading this paper to speculate upon the possibility that the Moonshot Pact is an attempt to disguise publicly unsupportable intentions.

Smaller parties are increasingly suspecting the DA of the same, due to rumours that the DA supports the ANC's proposal that only parties meeting a certain support threshold can participate in coalition governments

The DA claims their previous statements no longer reflect party policy, and that they remain committed to the multi-party charter that comprises eight political parties

Polling has fluctuated wildly, though most polls agree that while it is likely the ANC will lose their majority nationally, the margin leaves room for smaller parties, including the EFF, to form a radical Charterist government after 2024.

However, polling also suggests the potential for the Charterists to lose Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal. The DA is currently in talks in KwaZulu-Natal for potential co-governance with the IFP if the ANC falls below 50% in the upcoming elections.

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