SOUTH AFRICA: DA Spox-ANC 'National Unity Gov't' Offer Complicates Matters

A spokesperson from the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA) has said that the governing African National Congress (ANC)'s broad invitation to all parties to form a gov't of national unity 'complicates matters' on forming a governing coaliton. Prior, spox had said tha the DA 'welcomes that negotiations are now moving into ther substantive negotiation phase', and that 'we hope to get more detail from the ANC on their national unity gov't proposal'. 

• Observers and markets remain in a wait-and-see phase with regards to the potential composition of the next gov't. The ANC has proposed a national unity gov't that would include the DA as well as extreme left parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the far-right anti-immigrant Patriotic Alliance (PA). Even getting such a gov't in place could prove too-big-a-task for the ANC. The DA and EFF are at opposite ends of the political spectrum and there is significant animosity between the two sides. 
• Former President Jacob Zuma's MK Party, now the third-largest in parliament, is set to hold talks with the ANC and other parties today. A condition of the MK supporting the ANC will be the removal of Cyril Ramaphosa as president, given the personal vendetta between Zuma and the ANC head following the former's legal troubles in recent years.