With both parties in attendance at Winnie Madikizela-Mandela\u2019s funeral on Saturday, it was clear that the EFF and ANC had decided to call a truce for the day.<\/p>\n
Both\u00a0President Cyril Ramaphosa and the ANC’s head of elections Fikile Mbalula made repeated public efforts to reach out to EFF leader Julius Malema during their speeches, with\u00a0Mbalula telling the\u00a0Sunday Times<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that a reconciliation between the two parties was\u00a0\u00a0\u201cMama\u2019s last wish – and it is right\u201d.<\/p>\n However, the Sunday Times also reports that there have been informal discussions between senior leaders of both parties.<\/p>\n Speaking to the paper,\u00a0Malema said\u00a0that\u00a0he did not want to speculate on the possibility of a pre- or post-election alliance, but that\u00a0he had spoken to Ramaphosa about what was necessary for co-operation.<\/p>\n Another senior EFF leader said there was no possibility of his party collapsing, but that there could be co-operation after the election \u201cbased on certain fundamental principles\u201d.<\/p>\n Two-thirds majority<\/strong><\/p>\n While it is unlikely that the two parties will see any reconciliation or partnerships before the 2019 elections, the move could prove important in the long-term when looking at the wider political landscape .<\/p>\n The ANC and EFF have joined forces before (notably earlier this year when they voted towards reviewing the Constitution for land compensation), and a more formal partnership would give the ANC access to a two-thirds majority in parliament.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Joint Constitutional Review Committee, tasked with amending the constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation, officially begun its work at the end of March.<\/p>\n