The ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, which was as long as it was important, saw the governing party acknowledge the catastrophic election results and vow to form a government of national unity.
Grand coalition
Just before midnight on Thursday, when proceedings concluded, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in the closing address that the NEC decided that the best way forward is to invite every possible political party into a grand coalition.
Ramaphosa said that the DA, EFF, IFP, NFP, and PA have already engaged in constructive discussions.
“We have recognised that the people of South Africa have made their wishes known in free and fair elections. We accept the outcome of these elections as the will of the people of South Africa,” he said.
He said the ANC emerged from these elections as the country’s largest political party. Ramaphosa added that the confidence South Africans showed in the party was humbling.
“We now say, as the NEC, that we have heard their concerns, frustrations, and aspirations. The 40% vote for the ANC is a recognition that the ANC remains pivotal in the country’s search for a way forward and that there can be no solution without the ANC.”
Party’s responsibility to ensure unity
Ramaphosa said the election outcome placed a responsibility on the ANC to ensure that there was unity, stability, peace, and progress in South Africa.
During the course of the discussion, we have looked at several different scenarios for setting up government, as the ANC cannot set up government without cooperating with others.
“The discussions have been constructive and thoroughgoing, and have enabled us to emerge with a unified consensus position. This NEC meeting has provided clear direction on the work we must do over the next few days and weeks to establish national and provincial governments that are stable, effective, and advance the interests of the South African people as a whole.”
He said the ANC acknowledged that the country was at a moment of fundamental consequence, which required extraordinary leadership and courage to plot a way forward.
Inclusive economic growth
“We must act with speed to safeguard national unity, peace, stability, inclusive economic growth, non-racialism, and non-sexism. We’ll ensure the continuation of a progressive agenda of social and economic transformation in our country.”
“We have therefore agreed that we will invite political parties to form a government of national unity as the best option to move our country forward. The modalities of the government of national unity will take into account the conditions prevailing at this moment in our country’s history,” he said.
Ramaphosa said the primary goal of this national unity government should be to address the country’s pressing issues. These issues include job creation and inclusive economic growth, the high cost of living, service delivery, crime, and corruption, he said.
He said the NEC agreed that this moment called for the broadest unity of the people of South Africa.
“This moment also calls for multi-party cooperation and multi-stakeholder collaboration if we are to overcome the severe challenges that confront our country.”
Parties should be held accountable
He said that agreements between parties should be in writing. “They should be public, transparent, and include measures for holding parties accountable. Our approach to how provincial governments are formed where we do not have an outright majority will be guided by these same principles.”
Ramaphosa said the ANC noted that parties had ideological and political differences; however, “we will not preclude the possibility of working with any party so long as it is in the public interest and it is in keeping with the principles that I have articulated”.
He said the NEC mandated the ANC negotiating task team to proceed to engage parties on the unity proposal and reach out to a broader range of parties to enrich the process and promote inclusiveness.
Together with the national officials and national working committee, the negotiating team would develop in greater detail the modalities, principles, and governance framework to guide all the parties to the government of national unity to ensure that it is coherent and effective and serves the people of South Africa, he said.
As a black south African, I don’t support the idea with the DA and if the ANC does not listen, than they will see with the local government elections, they will not govern any of the metro’s, again they want to be arrogant, a coalition with The EFF, PA and IFP is the only coalition that will make sense for this country and not one with the national party (DA)
haha only stupid idiots wil believe that B.S