South Africans want to be led by coalition - Ramaphosa
President Cyril Ramaphosa says it's clear that South Africans want to be led by a coalition government.
The ANC recorded its worst performance in the elections since democracy, securing 40% of the national vote.
Speaking at the official announcement of the election results in Midrand on Sunday night, Ramaphosa said the results show that people want political leaders to work together.
"They expect the parties for which they had voted to find common ground, to overcome their differences and to act and work together for the good of everyone. That is what the people of South Africa have said."
With coalition talks happening behind closed doors, the ANC and the DA haven't ruled out the possibility of a partnership.
DA leader John Steenhuisen, whose party took 21 per cent of the ballots, says they're exploring their options.
"I can today announce that the DA’s Federal Executive has unanimously adopted a resolution to initiate exploratory talks with other political parties that share a commitment to the South African constitution to identify options for the formation of governments at the national and provincial level where no party has obtained an outright majority.
"To facilitate this process, the Federal Executive has appointed a negotiating team composed of Helen Zille, Ivan Meyer, Siviwe Gwarube, Alan Winde, Tony Leon and Ryan Coetzee to facilitate the engagement with other parties."
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