‘ANC appears indecisive on which parties to enter coalition with’

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Political analyst Levy Ndou says the ANC appears to be indecisive on which parties to enter into a coalition with.

This follows the party’s announcement that it would seek to form a government of national unity with a group of opposition parties.

Consultative talks to set up the seventh administration under the proposal have continued this weekend.

The DA is among the parties that have expressed support for the proposal.

This is despite ideological differences between the DA and the ANC.

Ndou says parties should set aside their differences and move forward with the proposal.

“The reference to 1994 maybe would be to adopt ways in which they are able to agree on a number of issues. You recall that in the 1994 arrangement, they had to adopt the principle of sufficient consensus because, at that time, they had to avoid going into a vote because they knew that when MPs vote on particular issues, that has the potential to further divide the nation. So, I think those are the kinds of routes that they might adopt in order to move forward with this GNU.”

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Meanwhile, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation has expressed optimism that the ANC proposed GNU will lead to political certainty in the country.

Consultative talks to set up the seventh administration under the proposal have continued this weekend. Some parties have expressed support for the proposal while others have rejected it.

The foundation’s Executive Director, Neeshan Balton, says the results of last week’s elections indicate that South African voters want their desired political parties to work together to govern the country.

Balton says, “Some people will have to get together to form a government. I think part of what the pronouncement of the ANC President is also calling for is this motion championed by the former President Thabo Mbeki which is called an inclusive national dialogue of organisations and institutions outside of political parties to be engaged in the process as well not only up until the point of the formation of the government of national unity but thereafter as well. Now that is another concept that has to be spelt out and the details understood. What my sense is that the problems are so deep, the answers are not only going to come from political parties.”

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