Kenya’s ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta has waded into South Africa’s election debate, saying party leaders should learn from the “good and bad” examples of past coalition governments in his home country and elsewhere on the continent.
As vote counting continues after Wednesday’s general election, the governing ANC is in the lead but so far falling short of the 50% of votes needed to govern alone. Its leaders will therefore be mulling who to make a deal with, and how.
“I can only wish them well and hope that the leadership will take this decision by the people in a positive frame,” said the former Kenyan president, who is now leading the African Union election observer mission in South Africa.
A coalition government must focus on areas of agreements instead of their differences for the benefit South Africans, he added.
“At the end of the day, [when] you look at the different manifestos they’re all talking about the same thing – better housing, better water supply, better education, better infrastructure.”