South African local elections: ANC rules out DA
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
The ANC, South Africa’s ruling party, is ruling out a stability pact with the Democratic Alliance (DA) modelled on the national government of national unity, according to an anonymous member of its executive committee. Yet the two parties opened formal talks on Sunday, and the party is considering moving into opposition where it has less than 30% of the vote, according to Daily Maverick.
The African National Congress (ANC), South Africa’s ruling party, is ruling out a stability pact with the Democratic Alliance (DA) that would mirror the government of national unity (GNU) currently in place at national level, according to an anonymous member of the ANC’s national executive committee quoted by Daily Maverick.
The party is seriously considering going into opposition in councils where it won less than 30% of the vote and in metros where it took less than 20%. Formal talks with the DA opened on Sunday, 15 November, despite internal resistance. The party has also examined a minority government, which would require ad hoc agreements to pass budgets and legislation.
A second person, also anonymous, describes a broad national coalition with the DA as massively rejected, on the grounds of political and subjective opposition to any cooperation. They accuse the DA of opposing the ANC’s transformation policies, such as the Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) programme, employment equity or the Bela law on basic education, which they say would strip Afrikaans-medium schools of their autonomy.
The party already governs Gauteng province as a minority, with pacts concluded with the EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters) and the MK party to pass budgets and laws. This deliberation comes after a result that Fikile Mbalula, ANC secretary general, described as catastrophic on 7 November, while the party is already negotiating with other parties since the vote.
