South Africa- The African National Congress (ANC) has postponed its national executive committee (NEC) meeting to later this week due to internal tensions.
Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the meeting will now take place on Thursday.
A senior ANC leader attributed the delay to a significant fallout within the party.
“There’s a lot of tension currently. Not only because of our loss to the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK), which is humiliating, but also due to four members within the NEC whom we suspect were collaborating with the MK all along,” the leader told IOL. The names of the suspected members were provided to IOL.
This meeting is the first since the election results were announced on Saturday, despite over 500 objections from the majority of contesting parties.
The MK party is demanding a rerun of the elections, claiming they would have crossed the 50% mark in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) if not for alleged “IEC vote rigging.”
The MK emerged as the third largest party in the country and the biggest in KZN, securing 45.35% of the votes, followed by the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) at 18%, and the ANC at 16.9%.
This marks a dramatic 37.2% drop for the ANC, leading to a public acknowledgment of their defeat to MK and conceding that former President Jacob Zuma, who leads the MK, remains a significant political force.
With coalition talks underway, parties are vying to secure preferred governing partners and ministerial portfolios.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has indicated a willingness to work with either the ANC or the IFP to counter the MK.
However, an ANC source dismissed claims of coalition talks with the DA, citing incompatible policies and concerns about international relations, particularly regarding Palestine and the International Court of Justice.
“There are no talks with the DA. Our policies don’t align. If we enter a coalition with the DA, it would damage our international standing. The IFP, despite our painful history, has been considered, but there’s resistance due to past conflicts,” the source said. “Currently, we are leaning towards partnering with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). They want the finance portfolio, and we may offer them a deputy position, but discussions are still in the early stages.”
Source: IOL