The Deal, livre ebook

The results of the 29 May 2024 elections caused a seismic shift in South Africa’s political landscape. For the first time in three decades of democracy, the ruling ANC did not emerge with a majority.

With a constitutional deadline of just fourteen days to elect a president, the nation held its breath. Would the ANC forge a so-called doomsday coalition with the EFF and Patriotic Alliance, or a centrist partnership with its nemesis, the DA? What role would smaller parties play, and how would Jacob Zuma’s disruptive MK party impact on the negotiations?

The Deal takes you behind the scenes of the negotiations that redefined a nation, providing exclusive interviews with party leaders, unique insights and stories, thoughtful analysis and vital context. From the exclusive Inanda Club to clandestine hotel basements and affluent private houses on Johannesburg’s Westcliff Ridge, negotiating teams met under immense pressure. Amidst volatile markets, a skittish currency and intense social media scrutiny, every decision was critical.

Witness the nail-biting moments as talks through bilaterals and back channels teetered on the brink of collapse, and discover the personality clashes, factionalism and deft political manoeuvring that ultimately led to the establishment of the Government of National Unity. The Deal is a compelling record of history.

• Dedication
• Contents
• Author’s Note
• Prologue
• Introduction
• 1 The Lead-up
• 2 Election Day
• 3 Results and Reality
• 4 Working the Room
• 5 Coalition Conversations – Before and After
• 6 Scenarios and Stage Setting
• 7 ‘Don’t start trouble where there is no trouble’
• 8 Weighing the Options
• 9 Talks About Talks
• 10 Directions and Directives
• 11 Whispering Sessions
• 12 The Markets
• 13 GNU or Unicorn?
• 14 Frameworks for a Coalition
• 15 Chicken Soup
• 16 The Waiting Room
• 17 Statements of Intent
• 18 Sticking points
• 19 Back Channels and Bilaterals
• 20 Closer Together but Wider Apart
• 21 The First Sitting of the National Assembly
• 22 A New Country
• 23 Into the Fold and Out in the Cold
• 24 Unity of a Divided People
• 25 A Matter of Interpretation
• 26 The Balance of Power
• 27 The ‘Low Ball’ Offer
• 28 A Fury of Correspondence and the ‘Dead Cat’ Letter
• 29 Horse Trading
• 30 To Walk or Not to Walk?
• 31 Under Pressure
• 32 Fly-fishing at Mahlamba Ndlopfu
• 33 Last Ditch
• 34 The Cabinet Takes Shape
• 35 Waiting for the Phone to Ring
• 36 Gauteng – A Stretch Too Far
• 37 A Loss or a Win?
• 38 The First Year of Marriage
• 39 Figuring It Out
• 40 Breaking Up is Hard to Do
• 41 Hindsight and Foresight
• Notes
• Acknowledgements
• Picture Section