Ramaphosa meets Mbeki about ANC’s poor performance in poll

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa met former president Thabo Mbeki to seek guidance on a way forward after a dismal showing at the polls.

Insiders’ privy to the meeting said Ramaphosa met Mbeki on Saturday after it emerged the party would need to enter a coalition. Ramaphosa has had a contentious relationship with Mbeki since the former assumed office.

Mbeki has previously criticised Ramaphosa’s government in public platforms, while in a leaked national executive committee (NEC) recording in 2022, Ramaphosa was heard saying he had not received support from the former statesmen.

Ramaphosa reportedly called on Mbeki to ask that he be part of a body of elders who will guide the party during coalition talks.

The two statesmen are also said to have discussed former president Jacob Zuma. Insiders at Luthuli House said Mbeki had requested a meeting with Ramaphosa three times before the election.

They said Mbeki was concerned by Ramaphosa’s attitude towards his request for a meeting.

Thabo Mbeki Foundation spokesperson Siyabulela Gebe refused to comment. A presidency spokesperson could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.

After 30 years of governing, the ANC was dealt a blow when it lost two of its key provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, and its majority in the country.

The president and his allies are facing a fierce battle at the NEC meeting on Thursday, with many seemingly not buying into a coalition agreement with the DA. This cohort includes party chair Gwede Mantashe and deputy president Paul Mashatile, insiders said.

Sunday Times reported this week that the ANC had decided the formation of a government of national unity (GNU) should be the first offer to parties willing to enter into an agreement with it.

The GNU option is perceived as an attempt by the ANC to manage the process of forming a government and avoid the backlash that would come with choosing between the DA and the MK party and EFF.

TimesLIVE reported that the ANC presented different models to the DA when the two parties met on Monday, one of which was a “supply and confidence agreement” modelled on Canada’s minority government formation. 

TimesLIVE