With only a day to go to the first sitting of the National Assembly, political parties were locked in last-minute discussions last night to decide on whether they will join the ANC’s proposed Government of National Unity (GNU).
Amid the high-stakes horse trading, some parties indicated they were waiting for the ANC to make firm offers, after talks that started last week.
While the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) rushed to meet with the IFP and NFP, one of its top officials indicated their newly elected public representatives would boycott the swearing-in ceremony of the members of provincial legislatures where they have representation.
The EFF threatened to nominate its election candidates for the positions of National Assembly Speaker, deputy speaker and president, should it not reach an agreement with the ANC.
Briefing the media on Wednesday night, IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said his party had decided to be part of the GNU, which includes the ANC and the DA.
“Provincially we are working towards forming a government in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, having met with the ANC, DA and NFP in the province.
“This continues to be a work in progress, with the deadline of Friday,” Hlabisa said.
He also indicated the IFP’s willingness to join the provincial government unity deal in Gauteng, where talks were under way.
Hlabisa said they were still to meet former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party, after it failed to honour an earlier pre-arranged meeting.
“There have been renewed attempts by the MK Party to reach out to the IFP,” he said, adding that the door was not closed.
Taking to social media, the Patriotic Alliance said: “The Patriotic Alliance and the ANC concluded our final meeting before we vote on Friday for Speaker, deputy speaker and president.”
DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi said the party’s federal council endorsed a resolution affirming their mandate to party leader John Steenhuisen and the negotiating team to continue with talks towards government at national and provincial levels, with hung legislatures to safeguard the Constitution, ensure stability, and generate economic growth.
Malatsi said the federal executive council would make the final decision on coalitions and the formation of governments at national and provincial levels.
The party’s chairperson in KwaZulu-Natal Dean Macpherson said they were in talks with a number of political parties in the province. “We have to put the people of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa ahead of sometimes-narrow party political interests. In this case, there are only six political parties represented in the legislature,” he said.
“There has been a consolidation of political parties – not a fragmentation in this case – so that only really leaves four other political parties or four including ourselves to work with. We also have to look at other political parties and say how do we come together around agreed principles and a set of values,” he said, in apparent reference to the ANC, DA, IFP and NFP.
EFF deputy leader Floyd Shivambu said in an interview they were focusing on consensus among “progressive” political parties to constitute a stable government based on sound principles and prioritisation of the people.
Shivambu said they had met with the ANC and the MKP.
“There is not yet consensus that has been presented,” he said. “We have given our framework on what should happen. If the ANC wants to work with a right-wing DA that undermines workers’ rights, that does not ascribe to progressive foreign policy, that has no regard for redress, that thinks we must forget what happened in apartheid, let them go ahead and do it,” he told Newzroom Afrika.
Shivambu confirmed talks with the MK Party, which he said “must play a significant role in national government”.
He said the EFF would field its candidates for the positions of Speaker, deputy speaker and the president should no agreement be reached with the ANC.
“We are definitely to field candidates for all positions,” Shivambu said.
The MK Party was still engaged in negotiations with various parties and has shown interest in working with the IFP.
MKP interim secretary-general Sihle Ngubane said they had identified political ideologies and characteristics pointing to similarities with the IFP.
“It is warranted that both political parties must prioritise to meet and start engaging in relations to coalitions and working together in KwaZulu-Natal,” Ngubane said.
The party’s head of elections, Muzi Ntshingila, confirmed meeting with the IFP, NFP and EFF, and a planned meeting with the Patriotic Alliance.
“We will release a statement in relation to those engagements. These engagements are continuous and very positive and the outcome will be communicated,” he said.
However, Ntshingila said the GNU presented by the ANC at their last meeting did not make sense.
“You can’t reinvent something that does not have material benefits in the current political environment,” he said, adding that they were waiting for feedback from the ANC.
He said they would boycott the swearing-in ceremony of MPLs in the legislature where they have representation, as they will do the same with the taking of oath by MPs in the National Assembly.
Cape Times