South African Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairperson Mosotho Moyepiya speaks during the official launch of South African general election results at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) National Results Operations Centre at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand on June 2, 2024. (Photo: Michelle Spatali/AFP)
The South African Electoral Commission (IEC) has confirmed the results of national and provincial elections, paving the way for the two largest parties, the ANC and the Democratic Alliance, to form a coalition government with each other, despite threats of “trouble” from President Jacob Zuma.
IEC chairperson Mosotho Moyepiya said on Sunday that after “careful” consideration of the extent to which measures under Section 57 of the Electoral Act would be applied, the organisation was content to announce the results of the election, the credibility of which had been called into question by Umkhonto we Sizwe and 25 other parties.
They had written to the Electoral Commission and threatened legal action if the results were to go ahead, but President Zuma had upped the ante by warning that doing so would be a “provocation”. But the official ceremony went ahead as scheduled on Sunday evening.
Hours before Moepiya announced the results at the Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Gallagher Estate, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen announced the door was open to negotiations.
Mbalula told media they were “talking to everyone” and that their choice should be based on more than ideological considerations, while Steenhuisen said in a statement that he would work with any party that abides by the South African constitution.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in a speech on Sunday, called on political parties to work together to form the next government, adding that the elections reflected the will of the voters.
“[The people] “They expect the party they voted for to find common ground, overcome their differences and act and work together in the interest of all,” he said.
“But all parties share an overarching mission to work with each other and with society more broadly to build an inclusive, united and prosperous country.”
“Whether we like it or not, the people have spoken,” President Ramaphosa said.
On Saturday night, the MK Party and 25 others collectively demanded that the results be postponed until their grievances were resolved and called for a recount.
President Zuma went a step further, warning that there would be “problems” if the declaration went ahead before they were “satisfied”, but provided no evidence to back up the claim.
Zuma called it a “provocation” to declare results that would strip the party of its two-thirds majority before “serious” allegations against it had been resolved, and accused the IEC of “bizarre tactics” in the counting and collating process.
Earlier on Sunday, security ministers held a press conference and said security forces would deal with any attempts to disrupt the announcement and any subsequent violence.
Police Minister Bheki Cele said there would be a visible law enforcement presence to maintain order.
“If there is a call for war against the state, we will respond,” Cele said. “Everyone has rights in South Africa, but if you cross the line, law enforcement will get involved.”
Cele said the law outlined mechanisms through which political parties could raise disputes and that there was “no room for threats of destabilisation to raise objections or concerns about the electoral process”.
“Law enforcement agencies stand ready to maintain peace and stability, as they have done throughout the election period. Any attempts to undermine the authority of the state and South Africa's constitutional order will be dealt with accordingly,” Cele said.
The door to a coalition government is open
With the election results in and the situation clear, the ANC and DA made it clear on Sunday that they were not closing the door on each other or any other party.
Mbalula said they were “talking to everyone” and had been tasked with listening to all “substantive political parties” over the next few days.
Importantly, Mbalula said that if circumstances permitted, coalition talks would be based on principles, not ideology.
The ANC said it would not accept any proposal that made the removal of President Ramaphosa a prerequisite, saying this was “no-go territory” and that any party that wanted to negotiate with that prerequisite should “forget about it”.
Mbalula said the ANC negotiating team would report back to the national working committee ahead of the national executive committee meeting on Tuesday.
An hour before the results were announced, Steenhausen released a recorded address to DA voters in which he suggested the party could form a coalition with the ANC to “keep MK out of power”.
Steenhuisen said the DA's federal executive had met and agreed to “open exploratory discussions with other parties that share a commitment to the South African Constitution”.
The DA spearheaded the opposition's pre-election coalition, the South African Multi-Party Charter, but that coalition has now effectively disappeared, with party members negotiating as separate entities.
The DA's negotiating team, which includes federal chairperson Helen Zille, floor leader Siviwe Gwalbe and former party leader Tony Leong, will “identify options for forming government at national and provincial level where no party has a majority”.
Other members of the team include Ryan Coetzee, the Western Cape premier and former Democratic Alliance spokesman and chief strategist, who became a special adviser to Mr Gill but later left to work for the British Liberal Democrats.
There is a powerful lobby within the ANC that has been calling for a coalition with the EFF, but there are also groups, including Ramaphosa and Mbalula, that support the formation of a government of national unity.
This will likely see the ANC calling on other parties, including the DA, the IFP and possibly the EFF, to join.
Sources familiar with the matter confirmed on Sunday that there is persistent resistance within the ANC to working with the DA for a number of reasons.
“It is self-interest as well as political and cultural alignments that are driving support for the EFF and MK Party,” the source said.
As for the DA, members are divided on the extent to which the party can work with the ANC without losing its ideological and opposition identity.
Some favour a structured arrangement in which the DA would stay out of government, hold key positions in parliament and seek concessions on key legislation.
Here, they have already indicated to the ANC that the National Health Insurance Bill and the Basic Education Act Amendment Bill will also be included.
Steenhussein said the party had tried its best to ensure the victory of a multi-party charter but was unsuccessful and that other partners must be found to form a stable government and move the ANC away from governing in coalition with the EFF and now MK.
Since then, the MK party has emerged and presented itself as a “threat” to South Africa.
“We call on all those who love our Constitution and all it represents to put aside narrow sectarian interests and join hands to act in the interest of the country we all love,” Steenhuisen said.
He reiterated that a coalition between the ANC, MK Party and EFF would be a “doomsday” scenario.
“During the election campaign, the DA promised to save South Africa from a doomsday coalition and we will do everything in our power to ensure that we do just that,” Steenhausen said.
This suggests the DA will not abide by the Government of National Unity in which the ANC has sought to incorporate Julius Malema's party.
Action SA national chair Michael Beaumont said in a statement that the party was not interested in a deal with the ANC and would operate as an “informal opposition in parliament”.
“But it is hard to imagine Action SA reneging on its promise to South Africans that it will not give the votes of South Africans who want change to a party that has created a crisis that necessitates change 30 years into our democracy,” Beaumont said on Sunday.
