The African National Congress (ANC) says it will adopt a municipality-specific approach to coalition negotiations following the recent local government elections, acknowledging that different municipalities face unique political and service delivery challenges.
ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu says coalition discussions will not follow a one-size-fits-all approach, with negotiations in Johannesburg expected to differ from those in eThekwini, Buffalo City and other hung councils.
Bhengu was speaking as the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meets in Boksburg to discuss possible coalition formations.
She says the ANC’s priority is to ensure that coalition agreements promote political stability and effective service delivery.
The party recently announced that coalition negotiations would be centralised under a national negotiating team. However, Bhengu’s remarks indicate that while the process will be overseen nationally, individual agreements will take into account the circumstances of each municipality.
She also confirmed that several political parties have approached the ANC to initiate discussions following the election results.
The NEC is expected to review the party’s coalition framework, adopted in 2023, which requires local structures to report to national leadership, with the NEC retaining the final authority over coalition agreements.
