ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has made it clear he has no intention of acknowledging or responding to MK Party deputy president Tony Yengeni’s invitations for coalition talks in KwaZulu-Natal, stating he does not recognise the party as a legitimate political formation .
Yengeni’s Overture
Yengeni wrote to Mbalula on 22 February 2026, inviting the ANC to join discussions with the MK Party, EFF and National Freedom Party about forming a new “stable, inclusive and effective” provincial government in KZN . He said the invitation was extended “in the spirit of cooperation” and that the ANC’s participation would “add meaningful value to the process” .
However, Yengeni told the Sunday Times he was “extremely” offended that the ANC did not even acknowledge receipt of the letter . “The MK Party, EFF and NFP decided to invite the ANC for discussions about possibilities of forming coalition governments in both KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Why they didn’t attend those meetings, it’s for you to ask them,” he said .
Mbalula’s Hardline Response
Speaking on Wednesday, Mbalula said even if Yengeni invited him to 15 meetings, he would still not receive a response . He cited the ANC’s ongoing legal battle with the MK Party over the use of its name and symbols .
“They stole our name and I’m still in court with them. I’ll recognise them the day I lose in court. For now, they’ve caused confusion, they’ve stolen our name, I don’t recognise them,” Mbalula said .
Mbalula dismissed the MK Party’s revolutionary credentials, accusing them of working with “everything that is wrong” . “They work with Morocco, they work with Israel, they work with everything that is wrong. They endorsed Donald Trump, so what do they want with us? What kind of friends are they?” he asked .
“When it’s time to eat they want us because that’s what they are interested in. What should we recognise there? There is nothing to recognise, he can write to himself,” Mbalula added .
Coalition Context
The MK Party emerged as the biggest party in KwaZulu-Natal in the 2024 elections, winning 46% of the vote, while the ANC’s share plummeted from 55% in 2019 to just 17% . However, the ANC partnered with the IFP (16%), DA (13%) and NFP (0.56%) to form a coalition government, keeping the MK Party out of power . The coalition elected IFP’s Thami Ntuli as premier, with MEC positions shared among the parties .
After the NFP quit the coalition in January 2026, Yengeni sent the invitation to Mbalula proposing a meeting that would have been held last weekend .
Mbalula said immediately after the elections, they were awaiting a call from former president Jacob Zuma inviting them to discuss government formation, but that call never came . “We said to them they must constitute a government in KZN, they went up and down, they called the EFF, they called the NFP, they didn’t call us,” he said .
Instead, the IFP reached out, and the ANC engaged with them directly .
