Jacob Zuma flanked by fellow MK Party members
The MK Party has appointed a seven-member national negotiating team to oversee all coalition discussions following the local government elections, as emerging results show the party leading the provincial vote in KwaZulu-Natal.
The announcement was made by Advocate Dali Mpofu during a media briefing at the IEC’s KwaZulu-Natal Results Operations Centre on Saturday, where he read a statement issued by party president Jacob Zuma.
The move comes as the Electoral Commission of SA’s (IEC) results dashboard showed the MK Party leading the provincial vote in KwaZulu-Natal with 34.54%, followed by the IFP on 20.86% and the ANC on 20.65%, with 97% of results processed as of 13 pm on Saturday.
Despite leading the provincial vote, the MK Party was ahead in 17 municipalities, while the IFP was leading in 18 of the province’s 44 municipalities. The results also showed that 31 municipalities had no outright winner, making coalition negotiations a significant part of the next phase of local government formation.
The MK Party had secured outright control of three councils, namely Richmond, iMpendle and Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma Municipality.
Mpofu said the party had established a centralised national framework to guide coalition negotiations, ensuring that any agreements entered into would advance its political programme and the interests of communities.
“For now, the message from our people is loud and clear. They want cooperation among various political parties,” Mpofu said.
In the statement, Zuma thanked South Africans who voted for the party on November 4, expressing appreciation for every vote received.
The party also congratulated other progressive political formations which it said stood for total freedom and the return of stolen land in South Africa, while criticising what it described as the racist right-wing DA-ANC alliance governing nationally under the Government of National Unity.
“The foundation for the democratic system of government is that the people are never wrong,” Mpofu said.
Zuma has appointed Duduzane Zuma, Tony Yengeni, Apostle Mxolisi Phakathi, Lindiwe Mtshali, Willies Mchunu, Advocate Dali Mpofu and Dr Mthanti Mthanti to serve on the national negotiations team.
The seven-member team will be responsible for engaging prospective coalition partners, assessing political and programme alignment, negotiating coalition agreements and making recommendations on governance arrangements and the distribution of executive responsibilities.
Mpofu said coalition arrangements would be treated as an instrument to advance the people’s mandate and transform local government, rather than an opportunity for individuals to secure political positions.
“Such arrangements must be guided by the party’s political programme and strategic interests. They must not be driven by the pursuit of political positions or short-term political expediency,” he said.
The party will assess potential coalition partners on several factors, including political alignment, council arithmetic, governance capacity, financial sustainability, integrity and their ability to deliver on agreed commitments.
It also wants all proposed coalition agreements to contain measurable commitments and clear accountability mechanisms.
The national negotiations team has been tasked with coordinating all discussions, with the presidency retaining the final political authority to approve or reject any proposed coalition arrangement.
“All agreements must be concluded by the end of the first 100 days after the establishment of the NMT,” Mpofu said.
He added that unresolved matters or disputes beyond the team’s mandate would have to be referred to the presidency for guidance and direction.
The party has also drawn a clear line between the responsibilities of its national negotiating team and those of its provincial, regional and local structures.
Provincial and regional structures may provide political guidance and participate in engagements when authorised by the national team, but they are not permitted to make independent commitments or enter into agreements with other political parties.
“No MK Party structure, public representative or individual member is authorised to initiate, conduct or conclude coalition negotiations outside the framework established by the NMT,” Mpofu said.
The party warned that any unauthorised negotiations or commitments would constitute a breach of its directives and could be referred to the appropriate disciplinary structures.
Mpofu said the party expected all its structures to cooperate with the national negotiations team and approach the process with unity and discipline.
“The party must approach coalition negotiations with unity, discipline and a clear understanding that our participation in government must advance the interests of our people and not the selfish interests of any person,” he said.
The party also thanked its thousands of ground forces and volunteers who made personal sacrifices during the election campaign without expecting personal reward.
Addressing the party’s councillors, Mpofu said the focus would now shift towards service delivery and fulfilling the expectations of voters.
“The time for service delivery is now. The road towards total freedom in 2029 begins today. Victory is certain,” he said.