Durban — There is a desperate last-ditch attempt to push through with a coalition of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the ANC to govern the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
This comes amid President Cyril Ramaphosa’s power deal under the Government of National Unity (GNU), which has irked the ANC’s alliance partner, the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) and several senior leaders in KZN.
Sanco was once led by former president Jacob Zuma, the current MKP leader, until February, when he was unceremoniously expelled for allegedly not attending meetings.
The discontent and angst, according to Sanco, stem from the ANC picking opposition parties such as the DA instead of the Zuma-led MKP to co-govern the KZN province, hung for the first time since 2004.
Upping the stakes is the province’s R150 billion budget.
The civic movement broke alliance ranks and openly called for an MKP-ANC-EFF coalition to govern KZN.
At this stage, it does, however, appear that fighting the GNU would be a litmus test as the ANC, IFP, and DA have hatched a power plan to block the MKP from governing despite the new entrant being the biggest party in KZN.
Despite open revolt inside the ANC, Ramaphosa is not bending on his proposed deal to form a GNU, which will involve parties such as the DA and the IFP, among others.
The deal will filter down to hung provinces, where the parties in the GNU would co-govern and share the available premier and MEC positions.
Following Sanco’s provincial executive committee meeting last week, the civic movement said it was clear from the election results that the people of KZN preferred the MKP to govern.
“It is by now history that the outcome of the general elections, as declared by the IEC on June 2, sent a very clear message to the ANC (16.99%) that they do not want it to lead the government of KwaZulu-Natal; instead, they want the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) (45.3%) to lead,” Sanco said in a statement.
In terms of seat allocation in the 80-member provincial legislature, the MKP has 37, while the IFP has 15, the ANC 14, the DA 11, the EFF two, and the NFP one seat.
Citing the perceived political implications of the ANC banding with the DA, Sanco pleaded with the ANC and the MKP to carve out a plan to co-govern the province.
“Therefore, Sanco KZN is of the sentiment that if there was ever a time in the history of KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa which needed the previously disenfranchised black people to unite, that time is now.
“Hence, the PEC believes that ethically the political party that received the highest number of votes in the province must lead the government in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.
“Sanco KZN therefore believes that ideally, the ANC must use its numbers to support the MKP to lead the government and the MKP must appoint a premier, as per the will of the people of KZN, thus together form a coalition government.”
However, Sanco said it was not oblivious to the MKP’s public utterances of not wanting to work with the ANC.
Another sharp criticism of this deal is said to have come from a senior ANC leader in KZN, who is a loyal backer of Zuma and is believed to be against the ANC-DA-IFP coalition.
After no party got a clear majority nationally, the chaotic coalitions abruptly became a default form of government for a country that has seen single-party domination since 1994 in the form of the ANC.
KZN residents will know next week who the premier and the MECs are after the first provincial legislature sitting.
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