ANC stalwarts favour DA, IFP deal

ANC stalwarts led by former president Thabo Mbeki are reportedly busy in behind-the-scenes discussions with President Cyril Ramaphosa to cobble a coalition government that will bring stability to the country and steer the party away from the radicalism of left-wingers in the party.

Several ANC sources who asked not to be named said the veterans favoured the Democratic Alliance (DA) as the main partner in the coalition and other non-radical parties to be invited.

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The source said a more favoured coalition included combining the ANC with the DA and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

The stalwarts include Mbeki, former president Kgalema Motlanthe, former Cabinet minister Pallo Jordan, and Mavuso Msimang.

They had been concerned about the ANC’s derailment from its moral path, including its involvement in state corruption.

The stalwarts have resolved to ensure that the ANC’s renewal programme, initiated by Ramaphosa after his election as ANC president in 2022, is realised. They want to wrest the party from the radical left and restore it to its moderate path.

“There is fear that some ANC leaders want to push the ANC towards radicalism by forming a coalition with the EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] and to even bring back Jacob Zuma.

That is not going to happen; we know where this is going,” said the source. With the ANC having lost its majority and getting 40.19% of the national vote from 57.5% in 2019, the stalwarts have decided to take matters into their own hands and steer the way forward.

They have taken Ramaphosa under their wing and he is seemingly cooperating due to his precarious position after the ANC’s showing in last week’s elections.

They hope their plan will be adopted by the ANC’s national working committee and approved by the powerful national executive committee today and tomorrow.

The plan will also save Ramaphosa from imminent removal after some party members suggested he should be sacrificed for the ANC’s poor electoral performance.

“Some ANC radicals are suggesting Ramaphosa should be recalled and replaced by Comrade Paul [Mashatile].

They prefer a coalition with the EFF and the MK [uMkhonto weSizwe] of JZ [Zuma]. They say such a coalition government should be formed without Cyril,” the source said.

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Extricating the ANC from Leftist nfluence

The veterans want to prevent the ANC from being plunged into renewed infighting and political instability which is likely if Ramaphosa is recalled.

ANC elders want to extricate the party from the grip of the Left who are prone to being influenced by MK and EFF radicalism, which could scare investors and lead to political and economic instability.

The source said the stalwarts also feared that if MK was part of a coalition, there was a risk that the rogue elements of the former radical economic transformation group would return and cause instability in the party.

The envisaged ANC-DA-IFP coalition is meant to keep the ANC on a moderate path and win the confidence of the markets and international investors. The new government will combine the governance expertise of the DA and the experience of the ANC.

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