Former DA leader Tony Leon says the ANC lost the metros in the local elections but still holds most of the cards in the coalition talks. The ANC is on about 31% nationally and the DA just under 25%. In 2006, the last local election Leon contested as leader, it was 64% against 16%.

He tells Gabriel Makin the ceiling has fallen in on the ANC, and that for the DA, "the summit is in view". Leon sets out what he would do as DA leader in the 13 days before mayors must be elected: honour the voters, do nothing now that hurts the party in 2029, and count the votes before making demands.

He also says the DA would be mad to let ActionSA choose its mayoral candidate. He argues the ANC has its own reason to be wary of ActionSA, which won a number of township wards from the ANC. He also warns that pushing the DA out of the national government would hit the bond market and the rand.