Johnathan Paoli
THE Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC) Fikile Mbalula said despite experiencing a significant loss in the elections, the party remained strong and was dedicated to talking to all parties in formatting a government.
Mbalula was briefing the media on Sunday at the Results Operations Centre in Midrand and said having considered the outcomes of the elections, it is quite clear where the directions of the country is going.
He said despite his party’s earlier stance of not particularly favouring coalitions, and having experienced instability in the past, the ANC would respect the will of the people.
“The outcome is indicating to us that shared power is the future of the country, according to the will of the people,” the SG said.
The SG said that while the party was open to discussing with other parties, they would only be willing to talk to parties who were willing to talk to the ANC, and that there were certain principles that were non-negotiable, including the removal of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“No political party could dictate terms like that to us, that is a no go area to everyone concerned,” Mbalula said.
In relation to possible coalitions with parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA), Mbalula said that ideology should not be the main basis of coalitions, but rather the needs of the country.
“We don’t work on the basis of ideology, we work on the basis of interests and the stability of the country,” he said.
Mbalula however expressed his confidence that despite the losses, it is clear the ANC won most votes and was the most popular party in the country, with 6 million votes, and decisive majorities in 5 provinces.
He thanked the support of voters, supporters as well as members who worked in the campaigning ahead of the elections and “to get the country back on the path of prosperity for all”.
In relation to former president Jacob Zuma and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, Mbalula surprisingly changed his tune and said the party has always recognised that he was a big political player and factor in these elections, and that the party always knew he would be a threat in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
He said the ANC condemns any form of violence and said that even if people had grievances there were appropriate processes designed to deal with concerns and that no one was allowed to threaten the democracy of the people.
While surprisingly admitting to mistakes, Mbalula said the mistakes could be corrected as part of the ANC’s project of renewal and revitalisation.
“We knew we were in trouble, but this danger can be corrected,” he said.
Mbalula confirmed that a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was scheduled to take place on Tuesday, to consider the engagements and potential agreements with other parties in relation to coalitions.
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