By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) had initial talks with representatives of five other political parties over a coalition agreement to form a government but no decision has been made.
The party briefed the media following a meeting of its National Working Committee (NWC), where it discussed provincial premier candidates and considered coalition partners.
During the media briefing on Wednesday, the ANC announced that it has had engagements with the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Democratic Alliance (DA), the National Freedom Party (NFP), and the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in order to form a coalition government.
The recent elections saw no single party achieving an absolute majority, necessitating collaborative governance at both the national level and in key provinces such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
It enters the national coalition talks with 40.18%, while the DA has 21.81%, the new MK Party holds 14.58%, and the EFF has 9.52%.
Spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said a decision was made to act in the interest of the country and its people.
“The ANC is keen and determined to engage all parties and unite the broadest range of sectors of our population behind the urgent need to move our country out of the current potential electoral stalemate.
“The ANC is driven by the imperative to maintain national unity and stability and to put in place a government that will move with speed to tackle all the pressing socio-economic challenges our nation faces.
“We believe that despite any differences we may have, working together as South Africans, we can seize this moment to usher our country into a new era of hope. Informed by these imperatives, the ANC has started engagements with political parties in the country,” said Bhengu-Motsiri.
She also revealed that the ANC had already met with various political parties in the wake of the election results.
“We have been meeting with all parties that are keen to contribute ideas on how we can collectively move our country forward to form a government that ensures national unity and stability, continues the transformation of South Africa, and safeguards our constitutional democracy.
“The national working committee met on 4 June, two days after the announcement of the results by the IEC, to receive a report from the national officials on the meetings held thus far with various political parties.
“These include meetings with delegations from the IFP, the EFF, the DA, the NFP, and the PA.
Additionally, the ANC has consulted with its alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP), the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and the South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO).
Cosatu said it is still in discussions and did not want to present the ANC with an ultimatum, as parties scramble to form South Africa’s seventh governing administration of the democratic era.
“What’s key is that a coalition be led by the ANC, be progressive, biased towards the needs of working class communities, defend the rights of workers, grow the economy and create jobs, tackle crime and corruption, invest in public services and unite the nation,” said Cosatu spokesman Matthew Parks.
SACP said it will support the Government of National Unity (GNU) as long as the Democratic Alliance (DA) is excluded from it.
SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila, without hesitation, said they would not work with the DA and its forces.
“We will not work with these forces, we will not support any idea to try and work with these forces,” he said.
Mapaila described the DA as “anti-people forces.”
He addressed the media on the outcomes of the May 2024 elections, with a focus on coalition arrangements.
Mapaila said the SACP was seeking a coalition with other parties in which the ANC could consolidate a minority government with some features of the GNU, without the DA.
“But this GNU should not include the DA… we support the minority government with GNU features without the role of DA-led forces. We are clearer about our position on coalitions,” he added.
In the same vein, Mapaila said the SACP was against seeking a coalition arrangement with the MKP, “whose origins can be traced back to factionalism, the corruption of state capture and resistance to accountability, as outlined in the report of the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture and related Constitutional Court judgments.”
However, the MK Party (MKP) is not among the parties involved in the coalition government discussions, as the ANC said that despite repeated attempts, the MK Party did not respond to the ANC’s efforts. “Our door remains open as we continue to reach out to every party keen to contribute positively to moving our country forward.”