The ANC's national executive committee, its alliance partners and leaders from the party's structures, will be discussing its January 8 statement and election manifesto over the next two days.

This follows an NEC meeting, which took place on Friday and Saturday.

Former presidents Jacob Zuma and Kgalema Motlanthe were also part of the meeting taking place at Saint George's Hotel in Irene, Pretoria.

ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule said although discussions had not started yet, they would mostly focus on the upcoming elections.

"We will be presenting what we discussed as the ANC, the election manifesto and January 8 statement, to chart the way and move as a united force," said Magashule.

Zimbabwe

It is understood the secretary general called an emergency meeting with the party's peace and security cluster on Saturday to discuss developments in neighbouring Zimbabwe.

"As a movement, international relations is part of our discussions. We are aware of the situation in Zimbabwe and the world, and we are discussing it," said Magashule.

A week of violent protests erupted in Zimbabwe over the high cost of living, with frustration reaching a tipping point when the petrol price reached an all-time high of R46 a litre. The protests resulted in a security crackdown, with the internet being shut down for some days and police hunting down protesters.

"That you can see people in the streets indicates that there are challenges," said the ANC's head in the international relations subcommittee, Lindiwe Zulu.

She said the ANC-led government, through its Department of International Relations and Cooperation, had been engaging with Zimbabwe since 2018.

"Then discussions must be sped up and assist Zimbabwe to recover. There is an economic problem, which needs the assistance of South Africa as soon as possible."

Zulu said the ANC needed parallel processes where it could engage with Zanu-PF as a fellow liberation movement over developments in the country.

DRC

Meanwhile, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the country's constitutional court on Sunday declared opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi the winner of the disputed presidential elections after throwing out a legal challenge by the runner up.

Zulu urged all parties in the DRC to respect the decisions of that country's highest court and to try to work together.

"As the ANC, we are saying there must be respect for that constitutional decision."

She said the ANC had met with some of the opposition parties from the DRC, where it reiterated its calls for engagement, saying this was the only way to find lasting solutions. 

"As the ANC we've indicated that we want to see a process that's all inclusive, but as to how, we cannot say," said Zulu.

"We are aware of the fact that without finding a solution where all parties feel they can support government there will be problems," she added.