Amid boycott talk from the MK party, Parliament is not blinking -- and preparations for the first sitting of the National Assembly on Friday are going ahead.

'We remain dedicated to ensuring that the established democratic processes and procedures are upheld in accordance with the laws and Constitution of our country," Parliament said in a statement on Monday after the uMkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party again threatened that its 58 MPs would boycott the first sitting of the National Assembly.

Later on Monday, Chief Justice Raymond Zondo announced Friday, 14 June as the day of the National Assembly's first sitting, starting at 10am.

With only a handful of days left before the sitting, pressure on political parties to agree on forming a government of national unity has ratcheted up.

Initial indications of an ANC-DA-IFP cooperation deal fell by the wayside when elements in the ANC alongside its alliance partners, Cosatu and the South African Communist Party, opposed working with the DA as it was seen as elitist and anti-transformation.

The ANC, with 40.2% voting support, can't form a government by itself; it has met the DA (21.8% support), EFF (9.5%), IFP (3.9%) and others including the MK party (14.5%) and the United Democratic Movement.

No details of these meetings have emerged publicly, beyond generic statements of continuing "critical discussions aimed at advancing the interests of South Africa",...