No clear path ahead as ANC NEC debates coalition arrangements

The ANC's national working committee (NWC) will present three options for deliberation by its national executive committee (NEC) when it meets on Thursday morning.

Three NWC members who spoke with TimesLIVE on condition of anonymity said there was little push back from the committee on the proposed models the top officials presented on Tuesday.

The NWC met on Tuesday after back-to-back meetings held by its negotiating team with various political parties.

ANC national spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri confirmed to the media on Wednesday that the party had met the DA, EFF, IFP, NFP and Patriotic Alliance.

She said the NWC discussed three options it would recommend to the NEC including the inherent risks of each option.

“The NWC held a robust and constructive discussion on the perspective and report from national officials. The discussions enriched the ANC perspective and further probed the implications of each option for South Africa and the ANC’s historic mission to build a united, nonracial, non-sexist, democratic and prosperous South Africa for all,” she said.

TimesLIVE understands the three models to be deliberated by the NEC include a government of national unity, a minority government and a grand coalition. ANC insiders said the NWC agreed that it would prioritise the government of national unity in its recommendations to the NEC.

One insider said that the ANC envisioned a government of national unity with a “character” of a supply and confidence agreement.

A draft document by the ANC, which TimesLIVE has seen, indicates the agreement is similar to a minority government, where one or more supporting parties form a pact to support the government in key votes in exchange for policy concessions or involvement in the legislative process.

The supply and confidence agreements allow minority governments to function without formal coalitions, providing flexibility and ensuring multiple political perspectives can influence government policy.

“This type of agreement is particularly crucial in minority government situations where the ruling party does not hold an outright majority in the legislature,” the document stated.

TimesLIVE