ANC should come to terms with possibly receiving less than 50% in local elections: Analysts

Some political analysts say the African National Congress (ANC) should come to terms with the fact that it looks almost certain to get less than 50% of votes in the 2021 local government elections for the first time since 1994.

Monday’s elections have been widely viewed as a referendum on the governing party, which has been struggling to deal with corruption and the delivery of basic services.

The ANC is also facing a backlash over the poor stewardship of an ailing economy.

Dr Kagiso Pooe, from the Wits School of Governance, says the ANC should draw important lessons from how it has performed in the 2021 local government elections.

LGE 2021 | Discussion about people’s trust in the ANC with Sandile Swana and Aubrey Matshiqi

ANC says its approach to coalitions is based on principle and not expediency. With the number of completed municipalities now standing at 139 of the 257 in the country, many of these are hung councils, where no political party has been able to gain an absolute majority #sabcnews

— SAfm news (@SAfmnews) November 3, 2021

Meanwhile, the ANC says its approach to coalitions is based on principle and not expediency.

With the number of completed municipalities now standing at 139 of the 257 in the country, many of these are hung councils, where no political party has been able to gain an absolute majority.

ANC Deputy Secretary-General Secretary Jessie Duarte says the experience it has had with coalitions in many cases in the past has been regrettable.

“Most of these coalitions that were led by the opposition have been untidy, messy and premised on gaining power as an end in itself this has resulted in unstable and self-serving marriages of inconvenience. To avoid this type of political and administrative instability, the ANC will consider an approach with like-minded parties including affirming the principle accepted in many countries that the party that receives the most votes in a given election should be afforded the first opportunity to form a government,” says Duarte.

LGE 2021 | ANC briefs media on election results

 

ANC to engage in coalition talks in the hung Modimolle-Mookgphong Municipality

Political parties have expressed different views about the possibility of forming a coalition in the hung Modimolle-Mookgphong Municipality in Limpopo.

Although the ANC has got 14 seats, it cannot govern alone. Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and FF-Plus have  14 seats combined.

ANC provincial Spokesperson, Donald Selamolela says they are likely to find ways through negotiation.

“The ANC has got a majority party it’s just it doesn’t have the simple majority without other smaller parties. We are at 50% –  fourteen seats,  they are at 50% with fourteen seats combined. We will be assessing what is happening in terms of how we are going to be moved forward. Our national leadership are also engaged in a situation where they are guiding,” says Selamoela.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Limpopo Head of Campaign, Desiree van der Walt says they will not enter into any coalition
with either ANC or Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

“We acknowledged that coalition might the future of politics in our country. We will not be going to the coalition with the ANC. We will also not be entering into another form of working relationship permanent with the EFF. The other partners are Freedom Front Plus. We have no discussion yet. We leave it open, we will then vote for an item or against an item,” van der Walt.

Action SA leader, Herman Mashaba, has declined to reveal the name of one of the ANC top six members he has had an informal conversation with. However, he says they discussed the possibility of a coalition in major municipalities in Gauteng.

Mashaba addressed the media at the Independent Electoral Commission National Results Operations Centre in Pretoria on Wednesday.

“Yeah, one of the top six, it was informal and I think for me, I really respect them, I wasn’t going to entertain it, the discussion. It was the first time they approached me, yesterday, I was hardly half an hour here and that time every media house wanted to speak to me and I said please just give me a chance – I think you’re asking me something totally impossible.  I said wait for my call and I can tell you that call will not come in three hundred years,” says Mashaba.

 

Additional reporting: Busi Chimombe