Cyril Ramaphosa consults Thabo Mbeki on ANC election results

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa met former president Thabo Mbeki to seek guidance on a way forward after a dismal showing at the polls.  

Insiders privy to the meeting said Ramaphosa met Mbeki on Saturday after it became clear the party would need to enter a coalition.  

Ramaphosa has had a contentious relationship with Mbeki since he assumed office.  

Mbeki has previously criticised Ramaphosa's government in public platforms, while in a leaked national executive committee (NEC) recording in 2022, Ramaphosa was heard saying he had not received support from the former statesmen.  

TimesLIVE understands Ramaphosa called on Mbeki to ask that he be part of a body of elders who will guide the party during coalition talks.

The two statesmen are also said to have discussed former president Jacob Zuma.  

Insiders at Luthuli House said Mbeki had three times requested a meeting with Ramaphosa before the elections.  

They said Mbeki was concerned by Ramaphosa's attitude towards his request for a meeting.  

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “There are many meetings and consultations taking place. I don't want to comment on any particular single meeting.”

Thabo Mbeki Foundation spokesperson Siyabulela Gebe refused to comment.

After 30 years of governing, the ANC was dealt a humbling blow when it lost two of its key provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and its majority in the country in last week's elections.  

Ramaphosa and his allies are lobbying the NEC to agree to a coalition with the DA.  

The president and his allies are facing a fierce battle at the NEC meeting on Thursday, with many seemingly not buying into a coalition agreement with the DA. This cohort includes party chair Gwede Mantashe and deputy president Paul Mashatile, insiders said.  

Sunday Times reported this week the ANC had decided the formation of a government of national unity (GNU) should be the first offer to parties willing to go to bed with it.

The GNU option is perceived as an attempt by the ANC to manage the process of forming a government and avoid the backlash that would come with choosing between the DA and the MK Party and EFF.

TimesLIVE understands the ANC presented different models to the DA when the two parties met on Monday, one of which was a “supply and confidence agreement” modelled on Canada’s minority government formation. 

TimesLIVE