ANC concludes coalition negotiations, will announce mayoral candidates on Sunday

The ANC has concluded its negotiations with various political parties in the wake of 66 hung municipalities after the November 1 local government election.

The party will go into its weekend national executive committee meeting to discuss the nitty-gritties before announcing to the public who they will be getting into bed with.

At the conclusion of the meeting on Sunday, the party will also unveil those who made the cut to be fielded as candidates for mayors in the country's metropolitan cities.

Of the country's eight metros, only Cape Town (DA), Buffalo City (ANC) and Mangaung (ANC) were won with outright majorities — the latter by a slim one-seat margin.

In the past two weeks, the ANC has been undergoing a gruelling process to choose mayoral candidates for the metros, with three names submitted for each.

The process has not been without drama, with the party's insistence on tertiary qualifications and experience for the would-be mayors. The internal race has also been marred by accusations of manipulation of lists in the regions.

But after all the noise, the final names will be out for all to see after the conclusion of the NEC meeting, the party confirmed on Thursday.

The coalition negotiations have also not been without drama.

From initially being rejected by the IFP, the ANC and its KwaZulu-Natal traditional rival reached a power-sharing agreement this week.

“We have also agreed with the IFP in KZN that where they are in the majority they will govern and where the ANC is the majority we will govern,” said the ANC in statement on Thursday.

“Our task is to unite the people of our country and by working together provide services to the people. We will begin a process of uniting organisations based on common ground.”

The ANC's young leaders' push for the party to lean towards the EFF collapsed spectacularly this week, leading to a string of insults, claims and counterclaims between both formations.

The ANC will reveal the names of the parties it has agreed terms with after its weekend meeting.

“The ANC NEC will be convening over this coming weekend to receive a report on coalition talks including an update on potential coalition agreements,” the party said.

“At the conclusion of the NEC, the ANC will address the media and the people of SA, giving a more detailed account of coalition partners. We will also announce all our mayoral candidates.”

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