Is Zuma blue ticking the ANC? MK party says it’s open to talking coalitions with the ruling party

Despite the ANC saying it has not had formal coalition talks with the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, SA’s third biggest political movement has told The Citizen it is willing to negotiate.

It was not clear what demands the MK would make to their coalition parties, but it had been reported that the party would consider going into a coalition with the ANC if Cyril Ramaphosa was no longer the president of the party. The ANC rejected this saying that the removal of Ramaphosa was not on the table.

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When asked specifically about working with the ANC, MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the party was willing to work with the ruling party and all progressive formations, except the DA.

However, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri suggested the MK party had not responded to their request to meet.

“The ANC has reached out to everyone because we do not want a communication vacuum.

“We have made approaches to the MK party. When, or if, we are responded to we will do exactly like we have done with other parties.”

She said talks with potential partners have so far been “exploratory”.

A coalition between the MK, EFF and ANC has been described as a Doomsday Coalition by the DA.

The party said this arrangement would not benefit South Africa and would potentially push investors away.

In an interview with several media houses at the National Results Operations Centre (ROC) in Midrand, DA leader John Steenhuisen said South Africa was no longer an “ANC South Africa”.

“It is now a universe where more voices and more people are going to have to be listened to in determining the future direction of the country,” he said.

The DA had said it was committed to the Multi-Party Charter (MPC) but it appeared that parties were exploring agreements outside the MPC.

The Freedom Front Plus (VF+), which was also in the Charter, had told The Citizen that it would not work with the ANC. The party is now exploring talks outside the MPC.

Another party that was exploring talks outside the MPC was the IFP.

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Meanwhile, the EFF said it was willing to work with both the MK party and the ANC, even with Ramaphosa at the helm of the ANC.

The EFF had several demands including an EFF speaker and Floyd Shivambu as the Minister of Finance.