ANC leaders meet on South Africa options with Zuma Silent

(Bloomberg) — The African National Congress’s top decision-making body met to deliberate on how it will work with other South African political parties after last month’s elections failed to produce a absolute winner, with President Cyril Ramaphosa having to take stock of the situation. deliberations later.

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Members of the ANC’s national executive committee met east of Johannesburg on Thursday, a day after the party’s smaller national working committee – which oversees the day-to-day running of the party – said the “best option » was to consider forming a government. of national unity.

Such an arrangement “could be different from 1994”, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told reporters on Thursday, referring to a national unity government led by former president Nelson Mandela and including the Party National – which governed during apartheid – and the Inkatha Freedom Party. . “The devil is in the details,” he said.

The ANC won just over 40% of the vote in the May 29 election, losing its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid and meaning it will have to rely on its main rivals to retain power. power. These are the business-friendly Democratic Alliance, the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters and possibly former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party, or MKP.

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Mbalula said the ANC was finding it difficult to engage with the MKP.

“We tried to reach out, we were speechless,” he said, adding that MKP officials contacted by the ANC said they were still awaiting instructions from Zuma. Mbalula added that Ramaphosa is likely to provide comments on developments at the NEC meeting once the meeting concludes.

The MKP said in a statement on X that there had been “engagements” with the ANC and a meeting was expected to take place “soon”. The party will prioritize “the inspirations and aspirations of the South African majority and black people in particular,” according to the statement issued under the name of media and communications manager, Nhlamulo Ndhlela.

“Any coalition must focus on eradicating the systems that preserve and support the prolonged political and economic subjugation of our people,” he said.

The ANC faces an uphill battle in getting its rivals to work together. DA leader John Steenhuisen on Tuesday ruled out working with the EFF or MKP, both of which favor nationalizing mines and banks, while Zuma’s party said it would not work with the ANC only if Ramaphosa was replaced – a condition the ANC found unacceptable.

ANC members staged a small protest outside the NEC meeting venue, holding posters urging the party leadership not to partner with the DA in a national unity government.

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–With assistance from Robert Brand.

(Updates with MKP statement from seventh paragraph)

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