South Africa's main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), along with six other parties, have announced that they will hold talks to outline a pact that they hope will unseat the ANC from government at next year's elections.

The group does not include the country's third largest political force - the Economic Freedom Fighters - which is to the left of the ANC.

The ANC - the party that led the struggle against apartheid and in power for nearly three decades - has seen a gradual slide in its support in recent years.

At the last municipal elections in 2021 - the most recent nationwide vote - it recorded a total vote share of less than 50%.

The seven opposition parties hoping to agree on a pact have said in a joint statement that "the incumbent governing party is set to lose its majority when voters go to the polls next year".

With this in mind they want to present a united front that is "stable, viable and effective" and plan to meet for two days next month to hammer out a deal.

But without the participation of the EFF, which secured a 10% share in the 2019 general election, winning more than half the votes next year may be a tall order.

Source: BBC