The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party will not attach conditions to coalition negotiations, its coalition negotiator Dali Mpofu has said, according to EWN. His statement comes as political parties across South Africa begin working out coalition arrangements following the local government elections.
EWN reports that Mpofu's position is that the party enters talks without setting terms in advance.
Why it matters
The remark carries weight because of how the MK Party has handled coalitions before. The party has previously ruled out working with the African National Congress (ANC) for as long as President Cyril Ramaphosa leads it, according to the reporting. Saying it will not bring preconditions to the table signals a different posture as negotiations get under way.
The outcome of those talks will shape who governs councils where no single party holds a majority — a situation that has become common in KwaZulu-Natal.
A strong showing in KwaZulu-Natal
The MK Party finished this year's local elections as the third-largest party in the country, EWN reports. It drew close to three million votes nationwide, with its support concentrated in KwaZulu-Natal, where it took 34.35% of the vote.
That provincial base puts the party at the centre of negotiations in the province's hung municipalities. Other outlets have reported on the scale of the problem: SABC News reported that KwaZulu-Natal has 33 hung councils, and the DA was quoted saying the number reflects voter fatigue with outright majorities. IOL reported that the MK Party is facing coalition hurdles in those hung municipalities, while Daily Maverick framed the situation as a dilemma over whether election losers can find their way back to power.
The MK Party's own stance toward other parties has drawn attention too. The Mail & Guardian reported that Duduzane Zuma said the MK Party will not rescue parties that voters have rejected.
What to watch
With Mpofu saying the party will negotiate without preconditions, the focus turns to how those talks unfold in KwaZulu-Natal's hung councils and whether the MK Party's earlier position on the ANC and Ramaphosa holds as negotiations proceed.
