(3 Minutes Read)
Incidentally, this is the first official indication that a government of national unity has been agreed upon, although the DA and ANC have not yet commented. The ANC has previously said it wanted to form a unity government and had engaged with all of the country’s opposition parties.
The leader of South Africa’s Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said his party agreed to form part of a government of national unity that includes the African National Congress (ANC) and the biggest opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA). IFP has a vote share of only 4%. However, the main party ANC, and the main opposition Democratic Alliance so far have not reacted to this proposal. Analysts maintain that proponents of the Unity Government, however, would prefer an alliance of EEF and MK, which were part of the ANC and now has become a splinter group.
Velenkosini Hlabisa told reporters at a media briefing in Durban that the only options were to become part of the government or part of the opposition. He also added that the parties forming the government should find a common ground.
South Africans have been eagerly waiting to know who would form the next government after the ANC lost its majority in last month’s elections. Incidentally, this is the first official indication that a government of national unity has been agreed upon, although the DA and ANC have not yet commented. The ANC has previously said it wanted to form a unity government and had engaged with all of the country’s opposition parties.
The ANC vote fell below 50% for the first time since Nelson Mandela led them to victory in 1994 and ended the racist system of apartheid, forcing them to look for coalition partners. The ANC got about 40% of the vote, with the center-right Democratic Alliance (DA) at 22%, the MK party of former President Jacob Zuma at 15%, and the radical Economic Freedom Fighters at 9%.
However, such a coalition would alarm investors because these parties favour seizing white-owned land without compensation and nationalising the country’s mines. The business community would prefer a coalition between the ANC and DA.
Bringing in other parties, such as the IFP, would help deflect criticism that the ANC leadership was “selling out” by working with the DA, seen by some South Africans as representing the country’s white minority.
Read Also:
https://trendsnafrica.com/south-africa-a-major-transit-hub-for-illegal-bullion-exports/
The DA opposes two of the ANC’s core policies – its black empowerment program, which aims to give black people a stake in the economy following their exclusion under apartheid, and the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, which promises universal healthcare for all.
