SA parties prepare for coalition talks following election stalemate

Moves are already afoot to form a government after the 2024 general elections produced no outright winner with the ANC having lost more votes. The EFF and the Patriotic Alliance have both indicated a willingness to go into a coalition with the liberation movement. While the MK is also a kingmaker after a sensational debut is reportedly not willing to work with the ANC if outgoing President Cyril Ramaphosa remain at its helm the EFF which has been opposed to him says he’s not a dealbreaker.

“Ramaphosa is not our problem. We took him on about his unexplainable wealth and Phalaphala but regarding coalition talks it’s up to the ANC to chose its leader. If they remove him we will be happy but that’s not our battle,” said EFF Leader Julius Malema during a media briefing at the National Results Operation Centre in Midrand on Sunday. Malema said the EFF will go into negotiations with an open mind and will even talk to everyone including parties that oppose the EFF.

“We are willing to talk to everybody including those little boys of DA (referring to the DA’s offshoots such as Action SA and BOSA). The Patriotic Alliance also indicated a willingness to form part of a coalition.
On Saturday Action SA Leader Herman Mashaba said it was going to be difficult as parties that won parliamentary seats sit on opposite ends. Meanwhile Action SA has blamed its poor performance in its maiden election on the unprecedented surge of the MK party and Patriotic Alliance. The ANC, EFF and IFP recorded the most losses as MK took to the top in KwaZulu-Natal and edged out the EFF as the third biggest party on the national ballot. Action SA just about it made it into parliament and was set to gain seats in the legislatures of the North West and Gauteng.

“This is obviously not the result we expected. We were really had hoped for more and then suddenly we were all stunned by MK. All parties were just as surprised,” said party leader Herman Mashaba.
Action SA campaigned on among others an anti foreigner ticket but most of that vote seems to have gone to the Patriotic Alliance. I don’t want to lie, the MK thing by the former president really disrupted us and to some extent PA, I didn’t think PA would do so well. I guess it’s back to the drawing board for us,” he said.