DA leader John Steenhuisen addresses the nation. (@Our_DA/X formerly Twitter)

• The DA has established a negotiating team to lead its talks with other political parties.
• The ANC failed to get a 51% majority, while the DA came in second with 21.76% of the vote.
• John Steenhuisen has vowed to keep a coalition of the ANC, EFF and MK Party out of government.
• Find everything you need to know about the 2024 general elections on News24’s Election’s Hub.

Former DA leaders Helen Zille and Tony Leon, along with some of the party’s most senior members, will lead negotiation talks to usher in a new coalition government for the country.

Leon, who served as party leader from 1999 to 2007, and Zille, who led the party from 2007 to 2015, will lead the negotiating team that will, over the next two weeks, speak to various parties to wrangle out a governance deal.

Other members of the negotiating team include Western Cape Premier Alan Winde, parliamentary chief whip Siviwe Gwarube, deputy federal chairperson Ivan Meyer, and Ryan Coetzee.

READ | WATCH | Steenhuisen is happy with DA’s marginal gains, looks forward to future after ANC domination

During an address on Sunday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said many South Africans were uncertain and anxious about the future.

“The purpose of these initial talks is to gather information on the options available to the DA as we seek to rescue South Africa from Doomsday. This talented and experienced team will report back to myself and to the Federal Executive, after which the party will decide on the way forward.

“I want to assure the people of South Africa that the DA will always act in the interests of the people throughout this unprecedented moment in our country’s history. In all that we do, we will be guided by the DA’s fundamental commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, promoting non-racialism, effecting clean, accountable government, with zero tolerance for corruption, and building a social market economy that creates jobs,” Steenhuisen said.

The DA got 21.76% of the vote in the general election – far off the mark to take the Multi-Party Charter forward as the biggest party.

With the ANC’s dismal electoral performance, garnering only 41%, formal coalition talks to establish a government are set to start almost immediately.

Discussions are reportedly under way among senior leaders in the ANC, the EFF and the MK Party to form a coalition, but Ramaphosa is not part of it.

There are also talks of informal discussions between the DA and those close to Ramaphosa’s camp in the ANC.

But, so far, nothing has been confirmed.

According to Steenhuisen, the ANC, EFF and MK Party have the numbers to take power, while the Multi-Party Charter does not.

“This is not the outcome that we wanted – but it is the outcome we must now deal with. The DA will not bury our heads in the sand. We will face up to this challenge, for that is the task of leadership. All throughout the election campaign, the DA undertook to rescue South Africa from the Doomsday Coalition.

“We will now do our level best to do exactly that. We will do so for the people who voted for us, and for the people of South Africa as a whole,” he said.

Steenhuisen said an ANC-EFF-MK Party coalition would set South Africa’s flag and Constitution on fire.

“Just like the DA warned during our campaign. This will signal the end of the South African dream that we all shared in 1994,” he said.

Parties have 14 days to work out a coalition deal to form a government.