Siphiwe Dlamini
Jacob Zuma’s MK party, on track to become South Africa’s third largest political party, has declared that it will not engage in coalition talks with the “ANC of Ramaphosa”. Instead, it seeks to align with like-minded groups willing to amend the Constitution.
Speaking at the IEC’s National Results Operations Centre in Midrand, MK party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela stated that any potential coalition partner must be ready to amend the Constitution to abolish apartheid-era laws like the Irrigation Act, which compels the government to purchase water from private dam owners.
“We want to form a united front, and there’s no doubt about that, right? And we will find ourselves in that position at some point, naturally. But here’s the criteria (for a coalition) – are you patriotic? Are you progressive? Do we share the same ideologies? Are we aligned in terms of policy? Those are going to be the deciding factors in terms of how we work,” Ndhlela said.
Furthermore, Ndhlela emphasized that any coalition negotiations to form a government must include granting Jacob Zuma a presidential pardon, enabling him to occupy a seat in the National Assembly and be eligible for the presidency.
“We will make a determination who becomes president, and whoever becomes president, he’ll be told that you’re going to give President Zuma a political pardon, presidential pardon, and when he gives a presidential pardon, we’ll bring President Zuma back as president, so simple and we will do that even before we change the Constitution,” Ndhlela stated.
Despite independent projections estimating the party’s national vote at around 12%, Ndhlela is confident in their influence, predicting their status as the official opposition in South Africa.
Ndhlela also addressed the likelihood of MK winning KwaZulu-Natal. Although projections suggested no party would secure an outright majority in the province, Ndhlela anticipated a win by at least 60%.
“We want to form a united front, and there’s no doubt about that, right? And we will find ourselves in that position at some point, naturally. But here’s the criteria (for a coalition) – are you patriotic? Are you progressive? Do we share the same ideologies? Are we aligned in terms of policy? Those are going to be the deciding factors in terms of how we work,” Ndhlela said.
With 40% of the vote still uncounted by 6 pm on Friday, the MK party had garnered 44.96% of the vote, the ANC 18.93%, and the IFP 16.45%.
Ndhlela dismissed speculation that if the MK party fails to secure over 50% of the vote, the ANC might form a coalition with the DA and IFP to govern the province. He maintained confidence in the MK party achieving 60% of the vote.
In summary, the MK party’s approach to coalitions and constitutional amendments sets a clear, uncompromising agenda for their political strategy, reflecting their commitment to their foundational principles and leadership vision.
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