The ANC, which has been in power since the 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid, lost its majority for the first time in a May 29 vote and two weeks of intensive behind-the-scenes talks with other parties came down to the wire. The
report came as the newly elected parliament was convening for the first time and lawmakers were in the process of being sworn in. The chamber will later elect its speaker, deputy speaker and the country’s president. “Today marks the beginning of a new era where we put our differences aside and unite for the betterment of all South Africans,” said Sihle Zikalala, a member of the ANC’s governing body, in a post on X. DA leader John Steenhuisen would give an address at 1.15 p.m.
said the unity government would include the ANC, the DA, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance. The DA would get the post of deputy speaker of the National Assembly, it said. President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC leader, is expected to win a new term in office under the terms of the agreement with the three other parties voting for him, according to a report on the TimesLive news website.
and other local media of a deal including the ANC and DA, which has been the preferred option in the eyes of markets and investors. Down to the wire Chief Justice Raymond Zondo formally opened the new session of parliament at 10:00 a.m. local time and the process of swearing in lawmakers began. The session was taking place in a Cape Town convention centre as the parliament complex was damaged by fire in 2022.
. The ANC won 159 out of 400 seats in the National Assembly while the DA got 87. The populist uMkhonto we Sizwe party led by former President Jacob Zuma has 58, the hard-left Economic Freedom Fighters 39 and the Inkatha Freedom Party 17. The ANC’s central dilemma since the election has been whether to work with the DA, which investors like because of its free-market policies but is unpopular with ANC voters who see it as a defender of the privileged white minority’s interests.