Fikile Mbalula said details were still being worked out before parliament sits on Friday but would be made public once all parties involved have signed. (Per Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)
The ANC announced a “breakthrough” on Thursday in efforts to form a Government of National Unity (GNU) and said negotiators were “racing against time” to finalise a framework agreement ahead of the first session of National Assembly on Friday.
The party has consulted with all but two of the 17 parties in parliament and managed to secure broad support for the GNU from a “majority” of them, most of whom are likely to vote for its presidential candidate, Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) has already voiced its support for a unity government formed by the ANC with the Patriotic Alliance (PA), while the Democratic Alliance (DA) also supports cooperation with the ruling party.
The ANC's national executive committee met in Cape Town on Thursday night to hear a report from secretary-general Fikile Mbalula's negotiating team on progress made over the past week.
Speaking at a press conference after the meeting, Mbalula said the ANC had made a “breakthrough” in talks with most parties, but did not provide further details on any agreements.
He said details were still being worked out before Parliament sits down on Friday, but that it would be made public once all relevant parties had signed on.
These do not include the Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party or the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), with whom the ANC has met but failed to conclude any agreement.
“We accept it and we will move forward,” Mbalula said, adding that he was confident other parties would also vote alongside the ANC in the first session of the National Assembly.
“I look forward to working with many of them in the elections for president and speaker,” he said.
Other parties that supported the GNU included the United Democratic Movement, Freedom Front Plus and the National Freedom Party (NFP), while Rise Mzansi and the Cape Coloured Congress had expressed concerns about the way it was being run.
Mbalula said the ANC had taken a “civil”, “mature” and “non-arrogant” approach to trying to find common ground with political parties.
“The ANC is humbled by the fact that our spirit of cooperation with all South African political parties is characterised by a shared commitment to putting the interests of the people first and to tackling the common challenges facing our country in unity,” he said.
“We have moved forward and invited everyone to participate. We then need to engage in a national dialogue. The ANC is trying to pause and reflect on this moment. This political reflection will continue.”
Mbalula said most parties had not approached negotiations in a “transactional way” but had instead focused on principles such as constitutionality and a commitment to the rule of law.
“We defined the concept and everyone bought into it at the same time,” he said.
“For us, it represents a big step forward.”
Mbalula said the work “will not be finished tomorrow” as “this is uncharted territory” with the ANC having to work with other parties for the first time in a “framework of cooperation”.
The ANC will also lead a provincial unity government in Gauteng and will have the support of the same coalition partners.
The company will end its coalition with the EFF in municipalities across the province as part of a Gauteng deal with new partners, with Ekurhuleni finance MMC Nkurkeo Dunga being the first to do so on Wednesday night.
In KwaZulu-Natal, the ANC agreed to join an IFP-led government that also included the NFP and DA.
Earlier in the day, NFP leader Ivan Burns confirmed that the party's only provincial MP, Mbali Singa, intended to nominate IFP KwaZulu-Natal chairperson Thami Ntuli for premiership.
This comes despite Prime Minister Jacob Zuma trying to persuade Mr Burns to work with the MK party on Wednesday, and despite the NFP rejecting Mr Ntuli as its premiership candidate, citing local government tensions with the IFP.
The decision gave the IFP-led coalition 41 out of 80 votes in the state parliament, a slight majority ahead of MK (37) and the EFF (2), but enough to form a provincial unity government.
At a separate press conference on Thursday evening, EFF leader Julius Malema said he had made it clear during meetings with President Ramaphosa that the party would not take part in a national unity government that included the DA, and accused the DA of promoting “white supremacy”.