JOHANNESBURG-(MaraviPost)-The African National Congress (ANC) has held separate coalition meetings with the uMkhonto weSizwe Party, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and Build One South Africa (BOSA) to discuss the composition of municipal councils and governance.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula confirmed the development on social media post that the party met on Saturday with the national negotiating teams of the three parties.
The BOSA delegation was led by its President Mmusi Maimane.
All three meetings were described as productive, with further engagements to follow.
The meetings follow a decision by the ANC’s Special Extended National Executive Committee (NEC) to engage all political parties, including civic movements and independents, to form stable coalitions in municipalities where no party won an outright majority in the 2026 Local Government Elections.
The NEC met recently to discuss the ANC’s approach to municipal coalitions following an unprecedented number of hung councils.
In a statement released on Friday, 13 November 2026, the ANC said the election outcome had imposed a duty on all political parties to reflect and determine the best and most stable coalitions to serve the people of South Africa.
“The development of our country depends largely on the effectiveness of our councils, and the ANC remains committed to establishing stable and working local government,” the party said.
According to the statement, the NEC has mandated the ANC to engage all parties, large and small, in municipalities where no party secured an outright majority.
Engagements are already under way, guided by the ANC’s coalition framework, and the party says it has also received requests from parties willing to work with it.
The ANC said it approaches the engagements with an open mind and a willingness to listen and constructively engage in the best interests of the people.
Any coalition agreement, it said, must be anchored in a common minimum programme with measurable service delivery targets.
The party pledged to pursue stable, transparent and accountable municipal government, with decisive action against corruption.
The statement stressed that local government has a constitutional obligation to ensure water, electricity, sanitation, roads, maintenance of public spaces, safety, a clean and healthy environment, and the development of local economies.
While noting significant progress in extending basic services and the social wage since democracy, the ANC acknowledged that much work remains to address poverty, inequality, unemployment and poor spatial planning.
In line with its Local Government Elections Manifesto, the ANC said it will advance transformation and deepen service delivery, with particular attention to the needs of poor households and the protection of workers’ rights and interests.
The party will issue a comprehensive statement on Tuesday, 17 November 2026, to update South Africans on the progress of coalition engagements. It said there will be no media engagements on the matter before Tuesday.
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