Malatji says ANC must go into coalition talks with like-minded parties
· Citizen
The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) says the party should negotiate coalitions in municipalities with political parties that respect black people and those that are previously disadvantaged.
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In an interview with The Citizen on Friday, the youth league’s president Collen Malatji said the ANC should not talk to parties that do not support pro-poor policies.
“As the youth league, our position is clear: in all hung councils, the ANC must negotiate with other parties to secure a coalition that grants us sufficient power to execute our local government manifesto action plan.
“At this moment, it would be premature to prescribe which parties should form part of these coalitions, as each demarcation has its own political dynamics. But the youth league is clear: we prefer coalitions with partners that respect black and previously disadvantaged South Africans and are determined to close the gap between them and those that control the means of production,” said Malatji.
He said the ANCYL supports coalitions with parties that are not “racist” or “extreme right-wing fringe groups” which are geared at “destabilising” the democratic system.
His comments come as the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) is collating all the results from the local government elections, which took place on Wednesday.
ANC support in KZN
While the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK party) looks set to take control of many of KwaZulu-Natal’s municipalities in this round of local government elections, Malatji believes the ANC performed better than it did in 2024.
“An honest assessment of the current figures will show you that, in fact, the support the ANC is receiving in KZN is increasing.
“We acknowledge that the results have not been finalised, but given the current trajectory, the ANC is performing better than it did in 2024, which essentially, at this moment, means that the decisions made by the ANC NEC to dissolve and reconfigure the leadership structures in KZN are bearing fruit,” he said.
Malatji said the ANC must “shy away” from expecting overnight miracles.
“Because it makes us ignore the factual situation. The ANC is doing better in KZN than it did in 2024, and this is a clear sign that the interventions have worked,” he said.
MK party threat
Malatji said he does not view the MK party as a threat to the ANC.
“Our existence is not derived only from the electoral process or the existence of other parties. However, what we can say about MK is that their model of electioneering and campaigning relies very heavily on tribalism and fearmongering; as such, they are strongest where they are able to capitalise on tribal tensions and opportunities, but also where they are able to stoke the fears of citizens,” he said.