ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula told AFP the party was “currently in exploratory discussions… we are talking to everybody”.
He said the ANC hoped to reach an agreement “as soon as possible”.
Provocation?
In an ominous sign of future discontent, Zuma's supporters in the often restive eastern province of KwaZulu-Natal paraded through the countryside in raucous celebratory convoys but boycotted the announcement of provincial results in Durban and the national ceremony in Johannesburg.
Asked why Zuma did not attend, MK spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said attending “would be tantamount to endorsing an illegal declaration”.
On Saturday, Zuma warned that announcing results he was not satisfied with would be a “provocation”.
The United States appeared unconcerned by the results, and State Department spokesman Matthew Miller posted on social media congratulating the people of South Africa for “serving as flag-bearers for democracy throughout Africa and the world.”
Zuma's MK, formed barely eight months ago to reintroduce the charismatic but controversial 82-year-old Zuma into politics, came first in the KwaZulu-Natal provincial assembly election but fell short of a clear majority.