ANC and DA coalition the best solution for South Africa

The ANC desperately needs a coalition partner to help it govern after its worst poll performance in 30 years.

According to ScollaAfrica, two obvious choices for President Cyril Ramaphosa are Julius Malema’s EFF and Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) as partners. However, both Zuma and Malema have vowed to oust Ramaphosa and see him imprisoned.

In Wednesday’s elections, the ANC’s support plummeted from over 57% to 42%. It lost KwaZulu-Natal to MK and the Western Cape to the DA, where it had little chance anyway. Additionally, the party failed to secure over 50% in the Northern Cape and faces the possibility of losing Gauteng, South Africa’s financial and industrial hub.

ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe has pledged to resist any efforts to remove Ramaphosa from power. However, factions within the ANC opposed to Ramaphosa suggest he could be replaced by his deputy, Paul Mashatile.

Mashatile reportedly has a good relationship with Malema, who is rumoured to have ambitions of becoming deputy president. The EFF leader has previously outlined his conditions for a future coalition with the ANC.

“I am prepared to give the EFF vote to the ANC nationally if it does not get 50%, with one demand – make Floyd Shivambu finance minister.

“The problem in South Africa is the finance department, owned and controlled by Stellenbosch.

“You need radical change,” Malema said.

But this week’s main coalition rumour has been about an ANC-DA arrangement.

This would bring stability to the national government and attract foreign direct investment to South Africa, grow the economy and create jobs.

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