South Africa’s ruling African National Congress has said it wants to form a national unity government with major opposition parties after it lost its majority in general elections last week for the first time since the country’s first post-apartheid elections 30 years ago.
The plan was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday, after days of negotiations within the ANC and between major parties. It comes after speculation over whether the ANC might try to form a grand coalition government with its nearest political rival, the Democratic Alliance, to control parliament, or whether it would try and work with the uMKhonto we Sizwe of former President Jacob Zuma, whose gains in the election came at the direct cost of the ANC.
