By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) said on Saturday they were keen to co-govern with the African National Congress (ANC), only if the Democratic Alliance (DA) and FF Plus were kept out of this coalition group.
The EFF and ANC held a bilateral meeting on Friday at Inanda Country Club, Johannesburg.
In the lengthy letter, the EFF proposes a new agreement or Statement of Intent between the EFF and ANC instead of the ANC’s Statement of Intent agreed to by the GNU partners.
This new agreement would have to, amongst others, include the principles of redress and equality.
The EFF further adds that it is willing to participate in any executive as long as the DA and FF Plus are not included.
In addition, the party also affirms the principle that the President and Premiers have the prerogative to determine the composition of the executive after consultation with the leadership of the EFF.
However, it found it key to express the party’s desire to be represented in all the clusters of national government, as ministers or deputies as well as roles in the legislatures.
This letter comes amid ongoing talks and the imminent announcement of the next executive by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The EFF appealed to the ANC to consider its proposal in the interest of the broader liberation of the oppressed.
“We must collectively take seriously the fact that counter-revolutionary imperialist and domestic forces are closing in on the ANC to institute a soft coup and undo historic gains of the oppressed, the party said.
Fullview understands that a deal has been sealed between the ANC and the DA on the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
President Cyril Ramaphosa met with DA leader John Steenhuisen yesterday, to iron out some of the outstanding issues relating to the constitution of the executive.
At the start of the talks on the cabinet, the DA had asked for about 10 ministerial posts, while the ANC offered three. The two parties, which have been bitter opponents for decades, later settled on about six, with the DA wanting to be represented in the so-called economic cluster, which includes the trade and industry portfolio.
The ANC has irked the DA by pushing back on the number of posts the smaller party says it’s entitled to after winning more than a fifth of the vote and by including smaller parties in the proposed government without consulting it.
The decision-making body of the DA met on Thursday evening and mandated the party’s negotiators to go back to the ANC with the insistence that it honour the agreement to cede the trade and industry ministry.
The ANC has been under pressure from its alliance partners not to cede trade and industry and instead push the DA toward tourism, public works and home affairs.