MK Party Emerges as Key Coalition Player as EFF Opens Municipal Talks

South Africa’s political landscape could be heading for another major shake-up after the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) held coalition discussions following the 2026 local government elections.

The meeting has attracted attention because both parties could play an important role in determining who governs several municipalities that failed to produce an outright majority.

On Wednesday, 11 November, the EFF’s negotiation team, led by Secretary-General Marshall Dlamini, met with representatives of the MK Party to discuss possible areas of cooperation.

Following the engagement, the EFF described the discussions as “very progressive”, suggesting that there was room for greater unity between the two political formations.

The party also presented the meeting as an opportunity for left-wing organisations to unite against what it described as “Apartheid 2.0”.

However, the discussions were not limited to political slogans. According to the information released about the engagement, the parties focused on practical municipal issues that directly affect ordinary South Africans.

These included improving refuse collection, bringing municipal workers back into permanent employment through insourcing, restoring broken streetlights and ensuring vulnerable households receive basic services.

These issues are particularly important as residents continue demanding better service delivery from municipalities across the country.

The negotiations also place the MK Party in an interesting political position.

The party recently established a seven-member National Negotiations Team to oversee coalition discussions and determine which political organisations it could work with.

Although the MKP has ruled out entering into an arrangement with the Democratic Alliance (DA), it has identified several possible partners, including the ANC, IFP, EFF, ActionSA, ATM and the SACP.

The EFF meeting therefore represents another important development in the negotiations that could shape municipal leadership over the coming years.

More than 120 municipalities were left hung following the elections, creating a situation where parties must negotiate with one another to secure governing majorities.

One of the most closely watched municipalities is eThekwini, where the MK Party emerged as the largest political party but failed to secure enough seats to govern alone.

This means that coalition negotiations could determine who ultimately controls the municipality and influences its future decisions.

The EFF has also been engaging with other political formations as it explores possible governing arrangements.

However, despite the positive description of the MKP meeting, no formal coalition agreement between the two parties has been announced.

For now, political observers will be watching whether these discussions develop into a working partnership or remain preliminary negotiations.

Do you think the MK Party and EFF should form coalitions to govern hung municipalities, particularly eThekwini? Would their partnership improve service delivery, or could it create more political instability? Share your views in the comment section.

Source: https://x.com/MDNnewss/status/2120532974441484792?a=U8JkAh1t773wcbKPSWg&s=19

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