President Cyril Ramaphosa has reportedly urged ANC leaders to explore a coalition in Johannesburg that does not include the DA, according to a report published on Wednesday that cites unnamed ANC insiders. The ANC has not confirmed that he stated a preference.

The reported remarks were made at Monday's National Working Committee (NWC) meeting, ahead of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Thursday, where coalition parameters are due to be discussed.

What was reportedly said

According to the report, Ramaphosa proposed exploring options without the DA in Johannesburg, and party leaders welcomed the suggestion. He also reportedly urged members to stop attacking one another and blaming each other for the party's electoral decline.

One ANC insider, who was not named, said the position was likely to gain traction at the NEC: "I honestly don't think they want to work with us in Johannesburg." Another leader, said to have been privy to the meeting, reportedly said the president's caution had emboldened those who want to review the ANC's relationship with the DA in the government of national unity: "Even if he is saving face, he has made that statement and those negotiating will stick to it."

What the ANC says

ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu dismissed claims that Ramaphosa had expressed a coalition preference. "It is only the NEC body that will make a pronouncement," she said, according to the report.

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has described the election outcome as "catastrophic" for the party. "This has been a very catastrophic outcome for the ANC," he said, according to the report. The party has centralised its coalition talks under a national negotiating team led by Mbalula.

The numbers behind the talks

The report cites the following figures for the Johannesburg vote: the DA on 34.79%, the ANC on 20.25% and ActionSA on 16.27%. It says ANC support has fallen by almost 15 percentage points since 2021, that the party held outright majorities in 161 municipalities in 2021 compared with 51 now, and that it lost ground in all eight metros.

The DA's Johannesburg mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, has named the ANC and ActionSA as her preferred partners, speaking on a podcast. ActionSA has said it wants Zille to withdraw before Johannesburg coalition talks go ahead.

What we do not yet know

  • Whether Ramaphosa made the remarks as described, and whether he stated a firm preference.
  • Whether the NEC will adopt a Johannesburg position on Thursday.
  • Whether the DA, ActionSA and other parties would take part in talks on those terms.

The NEC is expected to focus on coalition parameters on Thursday, and a special NEC to assess the party's electoral performance is planned for December.