Ramaphosa to meet Steenhuisen for final talks
The two party leaders are said to be meeting in Cape Town before the ANC national executive committee meeting on Thursday night
President Cyril Ramaphosa is scheduled to meet DA leader John Steenhuisen on Thursday afternoon, highly placed sources told TimesLIVE Premium.
ANC structures are preparing to hold meetings on Thursday night to conclude its agreement with potential partners in the DA and IFP.
The ANC’s top seven is understood to have met on Wednesday night after back-to-back meetings with political parties.
The ANC’s negotiating team has met almost all political parties in its effort to construct a government of national unity.
One insider said the meeting between the two party leaders has been necessitated by an impasse in negotiations.
The DA and IFP are likely to form part of Ramaphosa’s cabinet. One insider said the DA has indicated to the ANC it would want to occupy the National Assembly speaker position.
However, the ANC has been reluctant to hand over key positions to its potential partners.
The DA held a federal executive meeting on Thursday morning. TimesLIVE Premium reported earlier the ANC had rescheduled a meeting with the DA on Wednesday afternoon.
The ANC has already sealed a deal in KwaZulu-Natal. IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa announced the three parties would support its provincial chair Thami Ntuli for the premier position.
Negotiations between the DA, ANC and IFP in Gauteng will be finalised on Thursday afternoon, two ANC leaders said. To make way for its new pact, the ANC resolved it would terminate its partnership with the EFF in Gauteng metros.
TimesLIVE