South Africa's new governing alliance emerges

CAPE TOWN — South Africa's African National Congress, or ANC, has agreed to form a government of national unity for South Africa with three other parties including its largest rival, the pro-business Democratic Alliance, or DA, public broadcaster SABC reported on Friday.

The ANC, which has been in power since the 1994 elections that marked the end of apartheid, lost its majority for the first time in a May 29 vote and two weeks of intensive behind-the-scenes talks with other parties came down to the wire.

The SABC report came as the newly elected parliament was convening for the first time and lawmakers were in the process of being sworn in. The chamber was expected to elect its speaker, deputy speaker and the country's president.

SABC said the unity government would include the ANC, the DA, the socially conservative Inkatha Freedom Party and the right-wing Patriotic Alliance. The DA would get the post of deputy speaker of the National Assembly, it said.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC leader, was expected to win a new term in office under the terms of the agreement, according to a report on the TimesLive news website. It was not immediately clear what policy concessions the ANC made to its new partners to achieve a deal.

On the eve of the first sitting of the National Assembly, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said: "The ANC looks forward to the commencement of the seventh democratic parliament and the establishment of the government of national unity."

Mbalula said his party's negotiation team has held multiple engagements and discussions over the past week with political parties that will receive seats in the parliament, including the main opposition party Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party and several other small groups.

Mbalula also stressed that his party is "not going to retreat on the concept of the government of national unity, because we believe that the government of national unity, to us, represents the outcome of the elections".

Agencies - Xinhua