ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce the party’s decision on who they will go into coalition with later on Thursday, but some members say an ANC-DA coalition is spitting on their faces.
ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told the media that the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) would determine the make-up of the Cabinet, following the hotly-contested elections.
The ANC is currently holding a crucial special NEC meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, in a bid to come up with a solution to the new government.
This is to discuss different options before them to constitute a coalition government two weeks from now.
The ANC suffered a defeat in the 2024 elections, it got 40% support, resulting it losing its grip on total power.
IOL reported on Wednesday that the ANC’s National Working Committee had proposed to the NEC a National Government of Unity comprising parties such as the DA, EFF, IFP, PA and NFP. The MK had been approached too.
“Later today, the closing address of the president will be open to the media where you will get it from the horse’s mouth as to what has been decided by the NEC,” Mbalula said.
However, ANC members and its allies have raised concerns about a potential ANC-DA coalition, stating that this would be a disaster for the country.
For the stability of the nation, some party members believe that a marriage of the ANC and DA is the greatest choice.
Others, however, have vehemently opposed the agreement, including alliance partners, the South African Communist Party (SACP), and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu).
IOL understands that this has also caused a division inside the NEC, with others unhappy with the ANC-DA coalition.
“The reason why this is going to take long to deliberate and reach a conclusion is that members in the NEC support the ANC-DA, while others are fighting hard for it not to happen. It’s a division,” a source told IOL.
Talks of an ANC-DA collaboration have drawn criticism from ANC heavyweight and NEC member Lindiwe Sisulu, who said that such a partnership would be spitting on the graves of dead heroes of the Struggle.
The SACP said it will support the Government of National Unity (GNU) as long as the DA is excluded from it.
Its general secretary Solly Mapaila, without hesitation, said they would not work with the DA and its forces.
"We will not work with these forces, we will not support any idea to try and work with these forces," he said.
IOL Politics