South Africa’s governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), has reached a deal with the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) to form a government of national unity, according to local media.

This comes after weeks of speculation about who the ANC would partner with after losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years, in last month’s elections.

It got 40% of the vote, while the DA came second with 22%.

An alliance between the DA, a centre-right party, and the ANC, is unprecedented as the two parties have been rivals for decades.

The deal will also include the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a conservative party with a strong Zulu base, which got 4% of the vote.

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