Johannesburg, South AfricaCNN \u2014 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africa\u2019s African National Congress (ANC) party faces a mammoth challenge as it needs to form a government with its political rivals after suffering a seismic blow in last week\u2019s election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Wednesday, the ANC\u2019s national spokesperson insisted that any coalition government would be in the interests of unity and stability and hinted at a government of national unity of some kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe ANC has taken the position that we must all act in the interest of our country and its people, and work on a national consensus on the form of government that is best suited to move South Africa forward at this moment in our history,\u201d Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri told a press briefing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, some of the same parties that sought the ANC\u2019s demise will now have to play a part in governing South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For decades, the ANC could rule alone, but support for the the party plummeted to around 40% in last Wednesday\u2019s elections, down from 57% in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Analysts and opinion polls had forecast losses for the ANC but a pivotal factor in the party\u2019s staggering decline was former President Jacob Zuma and his newly formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, which capitalized on widespread discontent within the ANC\u2019s traditional voter base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zuma \u2013 a fierce critic of current ANC leader and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa \u2013 was forced to resign as president in 2018 and has been looking for political revenge ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His MK party, named after the ANC\u2019s former armed wing, appears to have achieved just that \u2013 formed just five months ago, it is now the third-largest party in South Africa, receiving almost 15% of the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zuma positioned MK as \u201ca party that is meant to restore the ANC to its former glory,\u201d said political analyst Tessa Dooms, programmes director at the Rivonia Circle non-profit organization\/political think tank in Johannesburg. She says many MK voters saw this ballot as a protest vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve seen with the MK party is the use of a vote to send a signal to the ANC of the level of unhappiness, not only of the country itself but within its ranks who\u2019ve supported it over the last 30 years,\u201d Dooms told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite Zuma being barred from running for parliament by the Constitutional Court because of a previous contempt of court violation, the 82-year-old\u2019s face remained on the ballot paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zuma is no stranger to controversy or the courtroom. He\u202fhas faced\u202fhundreds of corruption, fraud and racketeering charges\u202fover the years. He has always denied all of them and became known as the \u201cTeflon President\u201d because few politicians could have survived the scandals he weathered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa replaced him as president when Zuma was finally forced to resign. Later revelations of \u201cstate capture\u201d \u2013 or rampant corruption riveted the nation in an anti-corruption commission. Much of the focus was on Zuma\u2019s relationship with the influential and wealthy Gupta brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the ANC\u2019s popularity now at an all-time low and as Ramaphosa\u2019s political future hangs in the balance, Zuma could have the last laugh. But it is too early to tell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Due to the poor election showing, South Africa\u2019s political landscape has been fundamentally altered, leaving the ANC with the daunting task of forming a coalition government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many countries, coalition talks can take months, but South Africa\u2019s constitution gives rival parties a short window to do something they have never really done before: come together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the constitution, rival parties have a mere 14 days to create a coalition after the final election results are announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The outcome of these talks will likely determine Ramaphosa\u2019s future as president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ramaphosa\u2019s allies in the party are digging in. On Sunday, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula warned potential coalition partners that the president\u2019s resignation is \u201cnot going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think the ANC has many factors to consider in terms of how it forms a government \u2013 both the stability of the country at large but also for the sake of having a government that still holds to the values of the ANC that it has long said that it serves,\u201d Dooms told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The potential coalition partners present starkly different political ideologies and policy priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, there is the official opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), a broadly centrist and pro-business party that has heavily criticized the ANC for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Led by John Steenhuisen, it is seen by many as a party for White South Africans, something the DA rejects. Steenhuisen has not ruled out going into a coalition with the ANC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A DA-ANC alliance, however it would form, would likely keep Ramaphosa in his job, say analysts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only way Ramaphosa stays is through a DA-ANC coalition. Outside that, the other parties, MK and EFF (Economic Freedom Fighters), have made it clear the first point of negotiation is he must go,\u201d said TK Pooe, a senior lecturer at Wits School of Governance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ANC were to pair with the DA, which\u202freceived 21.8% of the vote, their combined support would amount to more than 60%, an outright majority. However, this relationship would require both parties to make some major compromises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While in government, the ANC\u2019s flagship policy for driving economic inclusion and racial equality in post-apartheid South Africa has been its Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment policy, known as triple-BEE or simply BEE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\u202fBEE policy has been criticized\u202fby some as neither broad-based, nor empowering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In contrast, the DA has\u202fsaid\u202fit would replace BEE with an \u201cEconomic Justice Policy\u201d that \u201ctargets the poor black majority for redress, rather than a small, connected elite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DA is also against the ANC\u2019s flagship National Health Insurance Act (NIH) in its current form. The act, which was signed into law two weeks before the election, seeks to provide universal health care for all and gradually limit the role of private health insurers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, both parties believe in the primacy of South Africa\u2019s constitution and both have promised to crack down on corruption. Awkwardly, the DA is currently\u202fpressing corruption charges\u202fagainst the ANC\u2019s deputy president,\u00a0Paul Mashatile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a move to appease internal critics, the ANC-DA coalition could be expanded to include smaller parties, or the ANC could form a minority government with a \u201cconfidence-and-supply\u201d agreement with opposition partners like the DA and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), where they remain outside of government but support it on key votes in exchange for policy concessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ANC decides to pursue coalition talks with MK, then Zuma will want Ramaphosa out, solidifying his revenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if South Africa\u2019s president maintains his grip on the ANC, a coalition with MK is unlikely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MK party\u2019s manifesto also demands an overhaul of the country\u2019s constitution to restore more powers to traditional leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zuma \u201cunapologetically focused his campaign around Zulu nationalism and that was a constituency that was easy for him to target,\u201d\u202fpolitical analyst and former ANC lawmaker Melanie Verwoerd told CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By appealing to his Zulu base, Zuma\u2019s party has also stirred ethnic and tribal tensions, a strategy that, while electorally effective, risks deepening divisions in South Africa, Verwoerd added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ANC\u2019s policies, grounded in the principles of non-racial and non-tribal governance, are at odds with this approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is also currently unclear how much MK actually wants to govern. Despite doing well at the polls, the party has demanded a re-run, threatened court action, and suggested boycotting the first sitting of Parliament. However,\u00a0it has provided no evidence of\u00a0voting\u00a0irregularities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The other option for a coalition is the EFF, led by former ANC youth leader Julius Malema, who was expelled from the party more than a decade ago. The breakaway party espouses land expropriation without compensation and sweeping state nationalism, including nationalizing the Reserve Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Malema has said\u202fhe would give the EFF vote to the ANC on the condition that his deputy, Floyd Shivambu, becomes Minister of Finance in an effort to control fiscal policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
South Africa\u2019s business community and middle class are broadly nervous about an EFF\u2013ANC coalition and its effect on investor confidence. The DA calls it part of a \u201cdoomsday\u201d option because of the potential impact on investment and trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EFF won just under 10% of the vote, so any coalition with the ANC would need to include at least another party in the mix to give it a healthy majority. The IFP, with almost 4% of the vote, could be such a kingmaker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aside from a classic coalition deal or a \u201cconfidence and supply\u201d agreement, another hypothetical option on the table would be a \u201cgovernment of national unity\u201d (GNU), bringing in all the major parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This scenario would hark back to the post-apartheid era when South Africa operated under a GNU to oversee the new constitution, led by Mandela as president and FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki as deputy presidents, between April 1994 and February 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With less than two weeks\u00a0<\/strong>to finalize coalition agreements, South Africa\u2019s political future remains uncertain; the ANC must navigate this complex landscape to form a stable government and address the challenges that have led to its diminished support, while Ramaphosa\u2019s leadership hangs in the balance amidst Zuma\u2019s dramatic comeback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Johannesburg, South AfricaCNN \u2014 South Africa\u2019s African National Congress (ANC) party faces a mammoth challenge as it needs to form a government with its political rivals after suffering a seismic blow in last week\u2019s election. On Wednesday, the ANC\u2019s national spokesperson insisted that any coalition government would be in the interests of unity and stability and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,16,15],"tags":[7,26,25],"class_list":{"0":"post-39071","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-news","9":"category-politics","10":"tag-apie-project","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-politics"},"yoast_head":"\n