Will ANC-EFF coalition fast-track Malema’s ambitions to be head of state in 2029?

With a coalition government inevitable after next year’s general election, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) should be wary about the prospects of attaining power through partnering with the ANC – because this will bring serious challenges.

A lot of noise has been made and the ANC is getting suggestions that it should partner with either the DA or the EFF if it were to remain in government. This comes after the ANC’s electoral support has been declining in previous elections.

Speculation is that there is no way the ANC can govern alone after 2024. But, so far, the DA can be ruled out as a possible coalition partner for the ANC. Voters from both parties are likely to be unhappy about this partnership.

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The ANC and the DA are complete opposites and don’t seem to agree on anything. This was proven last week by Western Cape premier Alan Winde saying he will arrest Russia’s President Vladimir Putin if he comes to Cape Town for the Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in August.

This is a total contradiction to the ANC’s position on Russia. Therefore, if the parties form a coalition, an international relations disaster will be imminent and the country’s position in the global arena will be diminished.

On the other hand, with the ANC Gauteng government and ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula having close relations with EFF leader Julius Malema, there is no doubt the ANC and the EFF might find each other sharing power in 2024, if the ANC fails to secure the majority required to govern the country.

With the EFF being the breakaway party from the ANC, a coalition government with these two parties will be a bit more sustainable than any others.

For both parties lean more to the left wing, they are ideologically the same, they share the same constituency, they honour the same struggle heroes, they mostly believe in the same things and they have few differences in policy direction.

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All this makes it likely an ANCEFF coalition government can be formed quite easily. But the challenge then lies in positions. With the EFF bringing its numbers to the ANC, it will only be wise and fair to accommodate them on Cabinet appointments.

Having people like Floyd Shivambu and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi of the EFF forming part of the executive is a no-brainer. The difficult part will be on the appointment of the country’s deputy president.

With Malema bringing his political entourage along, he will not settle for a post of a mere minister but will gun for the second-most powerful position in the country.

Contesting Cyril Ramaphosa for the presidency will just be a cancellation of the coalition. So, for Malema to demand the post of deputy president will be the aim of the EFF.

This demand will not sit well with incumbent Deputy President Paul Mashatile. He’s now comfortable with his political clout. To give that up will be a serious challenge.

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This will create a dilemma for the president because he must accommodate the two leaders. For the president to remedy this situation, he will have to appoint two deputy presidents, just as it had been done by Nelson Mandela in 1994: he appointed Thabo Mbeki and FW de Klerk as his deputies.

However, with all this unfolding, it raises a question about what will happen to the future of the EFF.

Will the coalition government end up merging the EFF into the ANC or will the two parties join forces and come out as one new party in the near future? Or will this coalition fast-track Malema’s ambitions to be the head of state in 2029? We just have to wait and see.