An ANC volunteer carries a poster of Cyril Ramaphosa as she prepares to erect a party station at the Msholozi Informal Settlement near Brakpan, Johannesburg. (File photo by Delwyn Verasamy/MG)
The South African voters have spoken, creating a turning point in the country’s democracy by not giving a single party an outright majority or the ability to single-handedly form a government at national level or in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. This has led to a rigorous process of negotiations with several political parties, which resulted in the establishment of a government of national unity (GNU). Other parties agreed to support the government from a distance, “playing a key role as a robust opposition”, such as ActionSA.
There appears to be a finalisation of the GNU involving the ANC, Patriotic Alliance (PA), Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and other parties, as well as the appointment of executives nationally and in KwaZulu-Natal. But Gauteng continues to be a complex scenario, unable to finalise a government of provincial unity (GPU) although a national executive (NEC) has been announced. This back-and-forth, in my view, is a result of three major points of struggle between the Gauteng ANC and the ANC NEC.
Internal conflicts and divisions in the ANC on coalition with the DA
There is no doubt that many in the ANC, from structures such as the NEC and provincial executive committees, down to the membership, have been against the idea of going into a coalition with the DA, regarding it as a betrayal of the struggle for liberation and that the move is “giving back power to those you took it from”.
This saw ANC youths picketing outside an ANC NEC meeting holding ‘Not with the DA’ placards and replaying some of the DA’s comments on events such as the Phoenix killings during the July 2021 riots and its advert of the burning of the South African flag, to substantiate the view that the party represents whiteness and racism. Veteran ANC members such as Tony Yengeni and Andile Lungisa have been among those who have openly rejected the idea of going to bed with the DA, describing it as anti-revolutionary. The ANC head of elections in Gauteng, Lebogang Maile, wrote on X: “We are not hypocrites, we do not take instructions from white masters.”
The ANC in Gauteng is trying to demonstrate its autonomy from the national leadership but it is an organisation that subscribes to democratic centralism. This means resolutions and decisions “such as GNU with DA + other parties outside of EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] and MK [uMkhonto weSizwe party]” are binding for lower structures such as provinces. Going into a coalition with the DA at national level and in hung provinces was a resolution by the ANC NEC.
This is a cause for concern for the functioning of the government in Gauteng. It also questions the future of the ANC in the face of a decreasing number of votes and internal squabbles. If the ANC wants to survive, it needs to be unified now more than ever.
ANC’s preoccupation with solidifying whatever power it has left
The ANC president, executive and negotiations team have had a difficult task since the elections, more so because the party dropped to third place in KwaZulu-Natal, a province which has been an ANC stronghold and home to its largest constituency. As a result it has focused on maintaining relevance and power in KwaZulu-Natal, despite its rival, the MK party, getting 45% of the provincial vote.
Horse-trading has involved negotiations with the leadership of the IFP as premier and cosying up to the kingmaker the National Freedom Party to keep the MK party out of government and still have some control in the province. Considering the thin margins which hold the government of KwaZulu-Natal and the ANC’s position as speaker in the legislature intact, this required the involvement of national leadership to secure the deal.
Nationally, the ANC president has also had to manoeuvre to ensure inclusivity without giving away too much of the power and control it has in key sectors of the economy. This is a task the ANC president pulled off, although at the cost of a bloated cabinet.
These are the factors, which in my view, led to the isolation of Gauteng in the negotiations and are evident in the current back-and-forth between the ANC and DA still not sealing a deal in the province.
ANC Gauteng can’t accept no longer being a majority government
Considering the work of Premier Panyaza Lesufi in the province, from last minute job-creation campaigns and finalising the e-toll drama that left many citizens dissatisfied, to “amapanyaza” crime wardens, the ANC was hopeful it could retain its majority in the province but has been unable to deal with losing 16% of its votes.
Political parties need to wake up to the reality that this is less about them and more about the people who put them in those positions. People expect them to get over ideology and egos as demonstrated in the results and focus on working as a collective for public gain. Key in this is the effect instability is having on people and the work to make South Africa better. If the people have spoken, let them be heard.
Siphesihle Mbhele is an Associate Researcher at the Institute for Poverty Land and Agrarian Studies, He is a youth and social justice activist and the founder and co-host of Activating Youth Activism. Follow him on Instagram: siphesihle.mbhele; Twitter: SiphesihleMbh11 and Podcast Instagram: activating_youth_activism