Phil Magakoe AFP
The ANC has proposed a government of national unity to lead the country after a fractious election that left the governing party without an outright majority for the first time in 30 years.
Party president, Cyril Ramaphosa, made the much-anticipated late-night announcement following a day-long meeting of the ANC’s national executive committee on Thursday.
In his address, he said the governing party acknowledged that the people of South Africa made their wishes known in “free and fair elections.”
“We have heard their concerns and frustrations and recognize their aspirations,” he said.
Ramaphosa noted that the ANC had still emerged as the largest political party in the country, saying that the 40% the party received shows that the “ANC remains a pivotal partner” in the way forward for the country.
He said there can be no solution without the ANC.
"The purpose of the government of national unity must be, first and foremost, to tackle the pressing issues that South Africans want to be addressed.
"These issues include job creation and the growth of our economy that will be inclusive, the high cost of living, service delivery, crime and corruption," Ramaphosa said.
The ANC said it would speak to all parties that have a stated intention to advance the interest of the people of South Africa, saying those wanting to sow division must be isolated.
The party said it has already had engagements with the EFF, IFP, DA, NFP and the PA.
Ramaphosa said NEC agreed on certain principles to guide their coalition engagements and these include shared values around national building and social cohesion, targets for economic growth, and respect for the rule of law, among others.
He said the ANC appointed a negotiating team that will seek agreement with parties to form a government of national unity.
The ANC President said all parties must work with speed to safeguard national unity, peace, and economic growth.
He invited political parties to form a government of national unity to take the country forward, saying a government of national unity must tackle the pressing issues that South Africans want them to address.
“A government of national unity is the most viable, most effective, and powerful way of meeting the expectations of all South Africans at this moment,” Ramaphosa said.
(Additional reporting AFP)
