By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The MK party swept the floor in the 2024 elections in KZN, securing 37 of the 80 seats, but the opposition united to keep it out of power.
The legislature has 80 members. If MK, EFF, and NFP were to form a pact, it would be divided 40–40, leaving the provincial government unable to pass any legislation. MK party has 37 seats, the EFF has two, and the NFP has one. The IFP holds 15 seats, the ANC 14 and the DA 11.
On Thursday, Malema said if the MK party was serious about taking the province, it should begin negotiating with other political parties as soon as possible.
“ The support for the motion of no confidence in KwaZulu-Natal is not support for MK. It is a support against the neo-liberal forces that came together to form a government against the wishes of the people of KwaZulu-Natal.
“Over the weekend, we are going to speak even to the ANC. We are going to speak to them to see if the ANC is prepared to engage with us formally,” he said.
“If it is not prepared to speak to us formally, nothing stops us from going to individual members of the legislature to speak to their conscience and do what is in the best interest of the people of KZN.”
The ANC’s stance on coalitions is that if a party wins a majority of votes — whether in councils, provincial legislatures, or nationally — it should be allowed to lead coalition formation. The ANC also maintains that where it has the majority, it should be given the mayoral chain, premiership or presidency.
Siboniso Duma, the second deputy convener in the ANC’s provincial task team (PTT), expressed confidence that the coalition would hold.
Duma said he personally knew all the ANC caucus members, some of whom he had known for decades. They are “trusted” and he is confident they will not vote in favour of the motion.
“I do not think there is going to be any shenanigans from the ANC.”
Duma believes the motion is politically motivated and says the MK party does not have the best interests of residents at heart, citing its failure to clarify its involvement with the 17 South Africans stuck on the frontline of the Russia-Ukraine war, who were allegedly promised jobs in the party.
ANC insiders, however, said party bigwigs were pulling the troops into line ahead of the crucial vote on Monday. A lot could go wrong.
A few absent members could mean the MK party succeeds, and the ANC in KZN is, in effect, under the administration of a provincial task team (PTT) due to factional conflict and the party’s dismal election performance.