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African National Congress (ANC) national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri noted on Wednesday that the party's door remains open as the ANC continues to reach out to every political party that is keen to contribute positively to moving the country forward.

Bhengu-Motsiri was updating the media on the outcomes of the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting and the selection process for Provincial Premier candidates, where she announced that the ANC had repeatedly reached out to the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, for an engagement meeting, with no positive response.

Following the May 29 national and provisional elections, the ANC lost its outright majority for the first time since the country's transition to democracy 30 years ago.

The ANC only managed to secure 159 of the 400 parliamentary seats, the Democratic Alliance (DA) scored 87 seats, MK Party has 58 seats, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has 39 seats and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) holds 17 seats.

Political parties have a two-week deadline to elect a State President.

Bhengu-Motsiri revealed the ANC is still awaiting the MK Party's response.

"We have approached the MK Party and we are awaiting their response, we had to do it as a matter of principle so that no one is excluded, no one is left behind," she explained.

She highlighted that the ANC was keen and determined to engage all political parties and unite the broadest range of sectors of the country's population behind the urgent need to move the country out of the current potential electoral stalemate.

Bhengu-Motsiri noted that the party had had engagements with delegations from the IFP, EFF, DA, the National Freedom Party and the Patriotic Alliance (PA), and that it had also engaged its Alliance partners, the South African Communist Party, Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African National Civics Organisation as part of the consultation process.

"…of course we are engaging everyone on the basis of our values, our principles at our policy position. When the National Executive Committee meets tomorrow [Thursday], it will consider all of those fundamentals that we need to take into account in deciding on who forms part of that government of national unity, I am not in a position to speculate what the final outcome or final decision of the National Executive Committee is going to be," she explained.

She highlighted that the fact that the EFF and PA had reached out to the ANC and the ANC had reached out to them was indicative of the willingness to talk about forming a national unity government.

"…we can't build national unity at this point in time because the ANC has not secured an outright majority, even when the ANC has secured an outright majority in the past we have always invited various political parties to government, that includes Patricia de Lille [GOOD leader] I can count quite a lot of those,"

She also noted IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa, the chairperson of the Pubic Accounts Standing Committee.

"…so this is not new to the ANC, but the people of South Africa are asking for us [the ANC] to work closer together in the interest of fostering unity," she added.

She said the ANC was driven by the imperative to maintain national unity, stability and to put in place a government that would move speedily to tackle the pressing socioeconomic challenges the nation faced.

"…we believe that despite any differences we may have, working together as South Africans, we can seize this moment to usher our country into a new era of hope," said Bhengu-Motsiri.

She noted that the most important thing was to ensure that the options that had been set out for a government of national unity and minority government were explored by the national executive committee on Thursday, and that the best options would be looked at.

The ANC NWC discussed the three options as set out by the secretary general on Sunday, which Bhengu-Motsiri said had been further elaborated, inc...

South Africa's National Treasury intends to stick to a balanced fiscal stance under a coalition government, its director-general said on Tuesday, after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in last week's election.

"I think that our fiscal strategy is achievable, even in a coalition environment ... because it's quite balanced," Duncan Pieterse told Reuters in an interview.

The ANC has up to two weeks to agree a coalition pact or another form of power-sharing arrangement with other political parties, after its share of the vote dropped below 50% for the first time in the post-apartheid era.

"A balanced macro-fiscal stance becomes more defensible in an uncertain political environment. And we intend to continue managing the fiscal stance along those lines," Pieterse said.

The ANC's potential partners diverge widely, from the free-marketeer Democratic Alliance (DA) to the more radical uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), parties that advocate nationalising mines and banks and redistributing land.

South African markets rallied on Monday as investors bet on the ANC opting for a coalition including the DA rather than one involving MK or the EFF.

Political analyst Moeletsi Mbeki stated on Tuesday that May 29 was not a watershed election, arguing that it was "well known" that the African National Congress (ANC) was not going to get a majority vote.

The governing ANC has lost its outright majority for the first time since the country's transition to democracy 30 years ago.

"If we are using the criterion of the ANC losing its majority, the watershed election was actually the local government election in November 2021, when the national tally of local government saw the ANC get 45.6% of the national vote, so that was the watershed election not this one," said Mbeki.

He said the reality was that the ANC had been losing its support, primarily of the black working class in the municipalities.

"…since the local government elections in 2016, the ANC has been losing the support of the black working class in the metros, and what has kept it afloat has been the rural vote in the former homelands," he added.

Mbeki noted that the primary problem in the country causing instability was that currently the top five political parties were middle class parties that were advancing the middle class interests to the exclusion of all the other social groups in society.

He said the other social groups felt that their interests ware not represented in the decision-making of the South African State today.

"The black workers do not feel their interests are being represented, white capital do not feel their interests are represented, the poor coloureds do not feel their interests are being represented, that is what is causing instability in South Africa," said Mbeki.

He highlighted that whether the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA) united, both parties represented the interests of the middle class and not the interests of the white, coloured, Indian and African working class.

He noted that the DA was creating propaganda that South Africa needed to be rescued.

In preparing for the elections, DA leader John Steenhuisen vowed to 'rescue' South Africa in the 2024 election.

Mbeki said that despite the country's railways and Eskom not functioning effectively, that does not mean the country is in crisis.

Mbeki argued that the ANC had never brought crisis in the country, however, it has brought mismanagement.

"…what the ANC has done, the ANC government it hasn't brought about a crisis in our society, what is has done it has mismanaged the railways system, it has mismanaged the electricity and supply system, it has disincentivised entrepreneurship by its policies of black economic empowerment," he said.

He said the ANC's mismanagement had not taken the country off course, but it had created problems for users of railway systems and exporters.

He said one of the reasons people voted against the ANC was that the party was unable to manage the economy in a way that the voters wanted it to be managed.

"…that does not constitute a crisis," he said.

He noted that if he were to advise a new ANC government, he would suggest that the party cancel black economic empowerment.

The African National Congress (ANC) was holding high-stakes internal talks on Tuesday about which parties it should approach to form South Africa's next government, with diametrically opposed Marxists and free-marketeers on the menu of options.

After 30 years of dominance since Nelson Mandela led it to power in the milestone 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid, the ANC lost its majority in last week's election. It remains the largest party but can no longer govern alone.

Voters punished the former liberation movement for high levels of poverty, joblessness and inequality, rampant crime, rolling power cuts and corruption - problems that have held South Africa back and will challenge the next government.

It will have 159 seats out of 400 in the new National Assembly, while the free-marketeer Democratic Alliance (DA) will have 87, the populist uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) 58, the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) 39 and the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) 17.

The new parliament must convene by June 16 and one of its first acts will be to choose the nation's president. As things stand, that looks likely to be the incumbent, ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa, although he may come under pressure to quit or prepare for a succession given his party's poor showing.

A working committee of 27 ANC officials was due to meet on Tuesday to draw up a menu of options to present to the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) on Wednesday.

A major news website published details from three internal ANC discussion documents it said it had obtained, outlining scenarios.

According to one of those documents, the preferred option was a confidence-and-supply agreement in which the ANC would hold executive power, with some positions for the IFP, while the DA would have the upper hand in parliament, holding the Speaker's seat and powerful committee positions.

Under that scenario, the DA and IFP would agree to support the ANC minority government on key votes such as the budget or any confidence motions, in exchange for policy concessions and involvement in the legislative process.

PARTIES DIVERGE SHARPLY

The second-best option, according to the document, was a coalition government incorporating the ANC, DA and IFP. The document said this would risk alienating some ANC supporters and that finding enough common ground on policy would be a challenge.

The least good option, according to the document, was a government of national unity bringing in a much wider array of parties. It said this would carry the risk of instability and collapse, or that one or more parties withdraw, leaving the ANC in effect in a coalition with the EFF and MK parties.

An ANC spokesperson declined to comment on the content of the news report.

An alliance between the ANC and either the EFF or MK has been described as the "doomsday scenario" by the DA, and would be seen as very alarming by financial markets and foreign investors.

The EFF, led by Julius Malema, a firebrand former leader of the ANC's youth wing who broke away from the party, advocates nationalising mines and banks and seizing land from white farmers to redistribute it to Black farmers.

MK, which performed surprisingly strongly especially in Zuma's home province of KwaZulu-Natal, also advocates nationalisations and land seizures, as well as scrapping the constitution and introducing a parliamentary chamber made up of traditional rulers.

The party is seen by many analysts as a vehicle for Zuma to seek revenge on the ANC, his former party, after he was forced to quit as president in 2018 following a string of corruption scandals. He has since become an implacable enemy of Ramaphosa.

The DA presents itself as a champion of business and free-market economics and favours scrapping some of the ANC's flagship Black empowerment measures which it says have not worked.

Often accused of representing the interests of the privileged white minority, the DA rejects that label and says good governance benefit...

South Africa was on tenterhooks on Monday for the African National Congress (ANC) to signal whom it will choose as a partner to govern the nation after it lost its majority in last week's election for the first time in 30 years of democracy.

The ANC had comfortably won every previous election since the end of apartheid in 1994 but this time voters weary of joblessness, inequality and rolling power blackouts gave it just 40.2% of the vote, down from 57.5% five years ago.

Its vote share was still the largest of any party but was not enough for the ANC to govern alone, thrusting South Africa into unknown political territory.

"This moment in our country calls for responsible leadership and constructive engagement," said President Cyril Ramaphosa in a weekly newsletter published on Monday.

The ANC's potential partners are diametrically opposed, ranging from the free-marketeer Democratic Alliance (DA) to uMkhonto we Sizwe(MK) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), parties that advocate nationalising mines and banks and redistributing land.

"We would work with anyone who wants to work with us but not with a cap in the hand," ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said late on Sunday after the official results were announced.

With the future direction of government policy at stake, a working committee of 27 ANC officials was scheduled to meet on Monday to prepare a presentation on the party's options to be delivered to the National Executive Committee on Tuesday.

Under the constitution, the newly elected parliament must convene within two weeks of the results being declared, and its first act must be to choose the nation's next president.

So far, ANC officials who have spoken in public have rallied round Ramaphosa but he may nevertheless come under pressure, whether from an internal challenge or from other parties refusing to work with him.

TOUGH TALKS AHEAD

"It is going to be very difficult coalition negotiations, even more so for the ANC because of its internal contradictions," said Zwelinzima Ndevu, director of the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University.

He said there would be "huge pushback" within the party over the prospect of pairing up with the DA, which came second in the election with 21.8% of the vote. If that proved insurmountable, he said the likeliest partners would be the EFF and the Inkatha Freedom Party, which received 9.5% and 3.6% respectively.

The dark horse in the election was MK, a new party led by former president Jacob Zuma, which received 14.6% of the vote.

A divisive figure who remains popular in his home province of KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma was forced to quit as president in 2018 after a string of scandals and has since become an implacable enemy of Ramaphosa.

"I don't see anything happening with MK," said Ndevu.

MK has said it is considering a court challenge to the election results despite its strong showing.

Analysts have long feared Zuma's party may stir up trouble if his supporters reject the results. They rioted and looted for days when he was arrested for contempt of court in 2021.

In his newsletter, Ramaphosa urged South Africans to stand firm against any attempts to undermine the constitutional order, saying: "There can be no place for threats of violence or instability."

South Africa's most powerful labour union federation, which is allied with the African National Congress (ANC), said any coalition deal struck by the party after its disastrous election performance last week must ensure President Cyril Ramaphosa retain his post and its manifesto pledges are upheld.

The ANC has been thrown into disarray after winning just 40.2% of votes cast on May 29, ceding its majority for the first time in 30 years. That performance leaves it facing a choice between an arrangement with its bitter rival, the centrist Democratic Alliance, or working with populist parties whose policies and public statements have alarmed investors.

"What's key is that a coalition be led by the ANC and President Ramaphosa, be progressive and biased toward the needs of working-class communities," the Congress of South African Trade Unions, which has supported the ANC in every election since it took power in 1994, said in comments sent to Bloomberg on Monday. The new government should "defend the rights of workers, grow the economy and create jobs, tackle crime and corruption, invest in public services and unite the nation," it said, without specifying which other parties it wanted included.

Cosatu, whose affiliate unions represent 1.8-million workers including those of a labour group founded by Ramaphosa in the 1980s, said it will consult on the way forward with the ANC and the South African Communist Party, a small but historically important political formation that's been part of the nation's ruling alliance since apartheid ended in 1994.

Among the priorities included in the ANC's manifesto are job creation, battling crime and improving infrastructure - all of which could be agreed to by the Democratic Alliance, which with 21.8% of the vote is the second-biggest party. Still, a pledge to phase in a controversial national health insurance system and differences over foreign policy could prove potential stumbling blocks.

The manifesto makes no mention of the widespread nationalisation of land, banks and mines demanded by the populist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, set up by former President Jacob Zuma. The latter party has demanded that Ramaphosa step down as a condition of any deal. It won 14.6% of the vote while the EFF garnered 9.5%.

"Cyril will remain," said Matthew Parks, Cosatu's parliamentary coordinator. "That's non-negotiable."

In an earlier statement, the federation criticized allegations made by MKP, as Zuma's party is known, about the conduct of the Independent Electoral Commission.

"We reject with contempt the nonsensical attacks on the IEC and the legitimacy of the elections by some desperate politicians," Cosatu said. "It is clear to all sober persons that the elections were free and fair."

President Cyril Ramaphosa is urging all political parties to put aside their differences and work together "for the common good", warning that there can be no place for threats of violence or instability as parties gear up to discuss coalitions.

On Sunday, the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) released the 2024 national and provincial election results, following the May 29 elections.

The African National Congress lost 71 seats in the National Assembly, as a result, the country is set to have its first national coalition government since democracy in 1994.

"Although every political party carries a mandate based on the commitments they made to the electorate, all parties share an over-arching mandate to build a country that is inclusive, united and prosperous," said Ramaphosa in his weekly letter to the nation.

He noted that this moment in the country called for responsible leadership and constructive engagement.

Ramaphosa said citizens must stand firm against any attempts to undermine the constitutional order for which so many struggled and sacrificed.

"…whatever challenges we may face as political events unfold, they should be dealt with in a spirit of cooperation and in accordance with the prescripts of our Constitution and the rule of law," he said.

FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS

He said the 2024 elections were the most "competitive" election South Africa has held since attaining democracy in 1994, with a record number of political parties on the ballot and independent candidates standing for the first time.

"This election has been declared free and fair. It took place peacefully and without serious incidents of intimidation or violence. This is a credit to the Independent Electoral Commission, to the political parties and their leadership, and above all to the South African people," he said.

He noted that the poll showed that the country's democracy was strong, "robust and that it endures".

The Government Communication and Information System welcomed the declaration by various domestic and international observers affirming the 2024 elections as free and fair which it said served as a vote of confidence in the integrity as well as credibility of the country's electoral processes.

Government appealed to citizens to respect the authority of the IEC and all empowering provisions to execute its mandate, warning that any attempt to undermine the authority of the State and South Africa's constitutional order would not be tolerated and would be dealt with accordingly.

"The peaceful, free and fair general elections declared by the IEC are another milestone for South Africa as we celebrate 30 years of freedom and democracy. This reinforces our dedication to adhering to democratic electoral processes, " said GCIS acting director-general Nomonde Mnukwa.

Mnukwa urged the public to refrain from sharing information in any form of pictures, audios or videos that perpetuate misinformation and disinformation or seek to incite any form of violence.

With more than half of voting districts now declared, the Democratic Alliance on Friday celebrated the fact that it is the only party represented in the National Assembly that has registered growth, with all other existing parties registering a decline.

The DA is currently standing at 23.7%, while the ruling African National Congress stood at 42.1% of the vote with results in from 54.9% of polling stations, by far its worst result since 1994.

A new party led by former president Jacob Zuma, the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party stood on 10.8%, overtaking the Economic Freedom Fighters, who stood at 9.6%.

"Change has come to South Africa, not through violent protest or instability, but through the ballot box. The Constitution defines South Africa as a multiparty democracy, and we now begin our transition into fulfilling this mission and away from a one-party State," said DA leader John Steenhuisen.

He said the DA was now "unquestionably" back to a growth path, after growing in the 2021 local government elections and now the 2024 national and provincial elections, consecutively.

Steenhuisen noted that the DA had registered significant growth in the Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the North West, and elsewhere.

"…thanks to many former ANC voters that have chosen to strengthen the DA in the interests of rescuing South Africa. We are also heartened by the early strong returns in parts of Gauteng, including Soweto, Hammanskraal, Daveyton, Kwa-Thema, and elsewhere in the province," he said.

He also highlighted that the DA had retained its majority in the Western Cape, where voters had rewarded the party for a strong track record of delivery.

"It is a vindication of the DA's governance record, and municipal level data shows that where the DA governs locally, voters have likewise given us a vote of confidence nationally and provincially," explained Steenhuisen.

He said the DA was grateful to the many new voters that had chosen the DA as their political home and delivered it growth.

"We are also heartened by the many millions of voters who determinedly remained in long queues due to the IEC's ineptitude, and who were determined to use their vote as their voice to rescue South Africa. We thank you, and we will not let you down," he said.

The biggest winner in South Africa's election this week may be former President Jacob Zuma, whose newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe party has exceeded expectations and emerged as a major factor in the African National Congress' sharp drop in support.

MK is not going to win the election and is unlikely to be a coalition partner, analysts say, while Zuma is barred from standing for parliament because of a conviction for contempt of court.

But the party, which advocates nationalising land and banks and scrapping the constitution, is on course to unseat the ANC by a landslide in the populous province of KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma's home region.

With results from about 64% of polling stations in, MK was in third place on Friday with 11.8% of votes. The ANC had 41.9%, down from 57.5% in the last 2019 election, looking set to lose its majority for the first time in 30 years.

In KwaZulu-Natal - strategically significant due to the main ports of Durban and Richard's Bay - MK was leading with about 44% to the ANC's just under 19%. Durban handles around 60% of trade to and from South Africa while Richard's Bay is the largest coal export facility in Africa.

Political analysts attributed MK's success largely to Zuma's popularity, which is rooted in his humble roots and anti-establishment stance.

An anti-apartheid veteran and Zulu traditionalist who sometimes dons leopard skins at public events, Zuma was forced by the ANC to quit the presidency in 2018 following a string of corruption scandals.

His presidency was defined by what South Africans call "state capture" after an inquiry pointed to systemic corruption enabling business people to plunder state resources.

Zuma denies this.

His successor Cyril Ramaphosa vowed to clean up the ANC, but critics say many have found his leadership too timid and constrained by consensus-building. Ramaphosa's government has also struggled with chronic power shortages and dysfunctional ports, that are partly due to a legacy of corruption under Zuma.

As early results rolled in on Thursday, MK supporters sang and danced outside Durban City Hall, in KwaZulu-Natal.

"Mr. (Zuma) did not get enough time to govern. I decided to follow him again because I know when he promises to do something he does," said voter Phumzile Chiya, 52.

RADICAL POLICY SHIFT

MK's platform appeals to voter frustration over racial and economic inequality that has persisted since the end of apartheid.

Like the Marxist Economic Freedom Fighters party, which has 9.5% of votes so far, MK rails against "white monopoly capital" that it says controls South Africa.

It calls for a referendum on the constitution and proposes a new parliamentary system including an upper house composed of hereditary traditional leaders like Britain's House of Lords.

It would also expropriate "all land without compensation" and transfer it to the state or custodianship of aristocratic traditional rulers, for use by Black farmers.

An ANC plan to expropriate land - most of which is in white hands - failed to get the required two-thirds of votes to go through parliament in 2021, with the main opposition Democratic Alliance and right-wing Freedom Front Plus as well as the EFF voting against it.

"I used to vote for the ANC, but since (Zuma) said he wants to reclaim the land and to change the country's constitution I saw that it was a good move," said Dumisani Xulu, a pastor in Durban.

MK's rise has caught the ANC off guard.

Asked if there had been any surprises in the election results so far, the ANC's Deputy Secretary-General Nomvula Mokonyane told Reuters: "KwaZulu-Natal".

If it were not for MK, the ANC might have retained its majority nationally, said Oscar Van Heerden, researcher and author of books on the ANC. The main opposition DA has only marginally more support than in the last election, as it struggled to shake off its image as a party of South Africa's privileged white minority and appeal more to Black voters.

"A lot of people that are disaffected in South Africa ... wan...

South African political parties geared up for coalition talks on Friday as the governing African National Congress looked set to fall well short of a majority in this week's election, the first time this has happened in 30 years of democracy.

While the party of the late Nelson Mandela looked likely to remain the largest political force, voters appear to have punished the former liberation movement for years of decline.

The ANC had won every previous national election since the historic 1994 vote that ended white minority rule, but over the last decade South Africans have watched the economy stagnate, unemployment and poverty climb and infrastructure crumble, leading to regular power outages.

With results in from 51.92% of polling stations, the ANC had 42.3% of votes, a precipitous drop from the 57.5% of votes it secured in the last national election in 2019.

Projections by South Africa's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research indicated the ANC would get 40.5% when full results are in.

So far the pro-business Democratic Alliance was in second place on 23.4%. uMkhonto we Sizwe, a new party led by former president Jacob Zuma, was at 10.8% and eating into ANC support, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma's home province.

MK had overtaken the radical Economic Freedom Fighters, currently the third biggest party in parliament, which was sitting on 9.6%.

By law the election commission has seven days to release full provisional results, but elections officials have said they are planning for a Sunday announcement.

'DOOMSDAY COALITION'

Political parties' share of the vote will determine the number of seats they get in the National Assembly, which then elects the next president.

That could still be the ANC's leader, incumbent President Cyril Ramaphosa. However, an embarrassing showing at the polls risks fuelling a leadership challenge.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday that the ANC still wanted to win a majority. "A coalition is not our plan; it is a consequence. We will deal with that consequence when it happens," he said.

Investors and the business community have voiced concern over the prospect of the ANC entering a coalition with the EFF, which is calling for the seizure of white-owned land and the nationalisation of mines and banks, or with Zuma's MK which also talks about land confiscation.

Though the DA says it wants to oust the ruling party, its leader John Steenhuisen has not ruled out a partnership to block what he has called a "doomsday coalition" with the ANC bringing the EFF or MK into government.