The ruling party, the ANC, has scored 40.18% at the polls, the lowest results in 30 years of democracy. The DA achieved 21.80%, while former president Jacob Zuma’s newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) scored 17.4%.
As early as Thursday morning, it was clear that the ANC would not meet the 50% threshold required for an outright majority.
As of Saturday, calls were mounting for black political parties to unite against the sixth Parliament’s official opposition, the DA. While discussions had been ongoing over the weekend that the D and the ANC were set to have a “soft coalition”, the ANC’s rank and file have slammed any attempt towards a coalition.
The DA is said to want a partnership with the ANC excluding Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
Mashatile’s sympathisers in the ANC are said to be strongly against an ANC-DA coalition because it “infringes on Mashatile’s rights”.
In January, the DA challenged President Cyril Ramaphosa to “come out of hiding and take urgent action” over what the DA said were serious allegations of corruption and capture against Mashatile.
Cosatu general secretary Solly Phetoe told Independent Media that the union and alliance partner of the ANC was vehemently opposed to such a coalition.
“We all know that the DA is still racist and petty, not different from the National Party. If the ANC insists on meeting the DA regarding coalition, we are not going to agree with that,” Phetoe said.
Pro-Mashatile sources inside the ANC have labelled a coalition with the DA as “counter-revolutionary”.
“Our deputy president was elected by the 55th conference. We would need to explain to the party why he isn’t good enough to be deputy president following this election. The DA has fought vigorously against affirmative action and BEE. They have fought against the minimum wage agreement and the National Health Insurance. We cannot on one hand promise our people the NHI, while on the other hand we are in coalition with a party that detests the NHI. It is counter-revolutionary. The said coalition will split the ANC even further,” the source said.
SOURCE: IOL
