Important consultations: ANC national executive committee members met in Johannesburg on Thursday to discuss the way forward. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
TThe ANC's national executive committee (NEC) met on Thursday to ascertain who would be included in the party's proposed government of national unity (GNU) and how it would function, paving the way for the next round of talks with other parties.
At the time of writing, meetings were still ongoing given the broad mandate given to the ANC's negotiating team, but secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the same day that the options had been narrowed down to a government of national unity.
The ANC team tasked with meeting other political parties has met with the Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Economic Freedom Fighters and Patriotic Alliance in the first round and is due to meet again on Friday, he said.
Speaking before a meeting of the National Electoral Commission in Johannesburg, Mbalula said the only party they had not met was Jacob Zuma's Umkhonto weSizwe party, which won 14.58% of the vote nationally and 44.35% in KwaZulu-Natal.
“It has been very difficult to get in touch and we have not been able to get anything. It will depend on this meeting whether we will be able to meet them or not, but as I have said, we are ready to talk to anyone,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to talk to people there because when you talk to them they say they are still waiting for Ubaba. [Zuma] We cannot find Ubaba, but we are ready to discuss with the MK Party.”
The ANC has taken the unusual step of inviting the media to ANC Speaker Cyril Ramaphosa's closing speech at the NEC meeting, scheduled to take place after the time of writing, in a sign of an intense propaganda battle being waged to sway the election outcome.
Several prominent ANC figures, including Zweli Mkhize and Lindiwe Sisulu, have written articles calling on the ANC to resist affiliation with the Democratic Alliance (DA) under a multiparty system.
The ANC is also under pressure from alliance partners trade union federation Cosatu and the South African Communist Party (SACP), which have warned against a coalition with the DA and MK.
SACP secretary-general Solly Mapaila told reporters in Johannesburg on Wednesday that his coalition would support a minority coalition with a government of national unity without the DA's participation.
Mapaila said they characterised the MK party as “counter-revolutionary”.
The SACP has also opposed seeking a coalition agreement with the MK Party, claiming its origins can be traced back to “sectarianism, the corruption of state takeover and resistance to accountability”.
Mbalula on Thursday said no agreement had been reached to work with the DA but negotiations would be based on parties' readiness to join the new government and accept the goodwill of the people.
He said the ANC was determined to look at different models of governance rather than looking to any particular political party.
The ANC national working committee had not made a firm decision on Wednesday on how to proceed, instead putting three proposals before the decision-making body.
“It's not just a question of talking about a coalition government without a model, it's a question of, 'Do we have a model in this country that will move South Africa forward while protecting and safeguarding the interests of political parties in a particular way through a national dialogue?' [the] The political end [loss of] “What is the identity of a political party?” Mbalula said.
“Discussions on negotiations are continuing and, following a mandate from the NEC, we are now moving to a stage of tough negotiations to consider options, including technical aspects.”
“The GNU we're talking about may not be the same as it was in 1994, so it's all in the details. In terms of negotiations, the technical team will be given broad authority.”
Ahead of a meeting of the National Electoral Commission on Thursday, a group of ANC protesters led by President Zuma's daughter, Tuthukile, insisted the DA was not an option the ANC should consider.
Mbalula said the protests were “unfortunate” and “out of place” as this was a time that called for “calm minds”.
The ANC is not the only party facing major ideological obstacles in the wake of the election.
The DA had earlier this week taken a firm stance against any collaboration with the EFF, but that stance has begun to fade in recent days, sources close to the process said.
The problem for the DA is that with MK's 44.35% of the vote in KwaZulu-Natal, it cannot reach an exclusivity agreement between it, the IFP and the ANC – a bigger coalition is needed, and with 9.52% of the vote the EFF can provide that number.
Bringing the EFF on board would also help ANC negotiators understand that for broad segments of the party, it would be an ideological affront to govern with a liberal party that they see as protecting the interests of the white minority.
Hence Mbalula's statement that the ANC reached out to all political parties, including MK, but as expected MK ignored the reconciliation offer.
But senior ANC sources said there had been a concerted effort to reach a deal with Mr Zuma's party, indicating divisions remain within the party and suggesting that Mr Ramaphosa's opponents are emboldened rather than chastened by their loss of their majority.
ANC members close to him have privately said such an alliance was out of the question for them.
“When they go there I'll leave,” one told the Mail & Guardian.
Another dilemma for the DA, which was under consideration even before the vote, is whether to accept ministerial posts as a minority in a coalition government or opt for a so-called confidence and supply agreement that would give it key positions in parliament.
The proposal would see the EFF and possibly the United Democratic Movement take part in the administration alongside the ANC.
This would spare the ANC ideological embarrassment but it would not lose support from Cosatu and the SACP, who see no chance of a coalition government with the DA.
“But the problem is that whatever the ANC does, they can use parliament to sabotage it,” one source said.
Another senior ANC source said the danger of giving other parties speakership and committee powers was that it also increased the chances of party leaders being embarrassed from the floor as their numbers were reduced.
Earlier this week, the ANC met with the EFF to try to understand what the party can offer.
According to sources close to the negotiations, the Red Berets did not hesitate to reiterate their position and demanded the finance ministerial post and speakership post of the party's deputy leader, Floyd Shivambu.
The EFF has not made Ramaphosa's removal from office a condition for joining a coalition agreement, but its insistence on retaining the treasurer and chairmanship positions could be an obstacle to further cooperation with the ANC.
Its ultimate role will depend in part on how the ANC manages to appease investors spooked by the EFF's nationalisation agenda, while at the same time keeping its own supporters on side with the deal it has secured.
IFP leader Belenkosini Hlabisa declined to comment on what the party's non-negotiable conditions are or what it wants in return for supporting the ANC nationwide if its offer is accepted.
The IFP is believed to want to win the KwaZulu-Natal premiership from any coalition agreement it is part of.
Hlabisa did not say which political parties his party representatives had spoken to.
He said the IFP team began consultations with various stakeholders on Monday and would report back on Friday, but the timeline would be determined “depending on progress”.
“There's no one we haven't talked to,” he said.
“We do not take an exclusionary approach when engaging with parties.”
DA KwaZulu-Natal representative Francois Rogers said he had worked with the party's headquarters to set up a provincial task team and had held several meetings with other parties in the province.
“The discussions are still in the early stages, but ultimately we have to find a solution to form a government at the national and state level,” Rogers said.