South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) is open to talks with any political party as it seeks partners to form a new government after failing to win an absolute majority in last week’s general elections, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula said on Sunday.
Official results from the May 29 national and provincial elections show that the ANC failed to secure the 50 percent-plus-one votes that would have given it an absolute majority necessary to ensure it formed South Africa’s next government.
It instead could only manage just over 40.2 percent of the vote, according to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
This is a far cry from the 57.5 percent it won in previous elections held in 2019 – and the first time since South Africa’s independence in 1994 that the party has failed to win at least 50 percent of the vote.
“We are talking to everybody. There is nobody we are not going to talk to,” Mbalula told journalists in Johannesburg.
He revealed that the ANC has been approached by some unnamed political parties with a view to discussing a potential unity government.
“We are looking at our scenarios; we are looking at the options before us. We are having a national executive committee meeting on Tuesday which will report about these talks,” Mbalula said.
He added: “The ANC is committed to the formation of a government that reflects the will of the people, that is stable and that is able to govern effectively.”
He dismissed calls by uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party led by former president Jacob Zuma that it would only agree to a coalition government with the ANC if President Cyril Ramaphosa is stepped down.
“If you come to us with the demand that Ramaphosa must step down as the President of ANC, that is not going to happen.”
The IEC was expected to announce the final election results later on Sunday during a ceremony to be attended by Ramaphosa.
Meanwhile, MK has lodged a complaint with the IEC in which it claims that there were irregularities during the vote counting.
MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela claimed on Saturday that an information technology company tampered with the IEC results system during a two-hour glitch experienced on Friday.
“We have evidence of election-rigging,” Ndhlela said.
He said his party wanted a commission of inquiry established to look into the conduct of the elections.
JN/APA