EDITORIAL: Maturity and pragmatism key to resetting GNU

Now that the government of national unity (GNU) is being “reset”, parties to it, particularly the ANC and the DA, have to step back and take stock of their mistakes in the past nine months.

The only real option for stability is the ANC and the DA continuing on the journey they began in the aftermath of the 2024 national and provincial elections. 

There are many reasons for this: despite protestation from both, their policy positions are similar; the ANC is centre-left leaning, while the DA is centre-right leaning. 

Still, their similarities outweigh their differences. 

Both parties are relatively democratic internally, holding regular elective conferences, which brings about internal stability and coherence.

A crucial recent development is the onslaught on SA by US President Donald Trump.

The DA and the FF Plus’s presence in the GNU is a bold statement against his false narrative of white genocide unfolding in SA, which he doubled down on in a social media post last week, indicating that he may not attend the Group of 20 summit in SA in November. 

Amid the global political and economic tumult, a unity government of centrists with the requisite support to prevent stagnation in parliament and in the SA state is crucial.

Still, despite the upsides to the ANC and DA collaborating, there is a sizeable number of senior leaders in both parties who believe the budget impasse has burnt the already rickety bridge between the two. 

Deputy president Paul Mashatile is among them and as a potential future president of the ANC his views are not to be taken lightly, particularly as President Cyril Ramaphosa appears to be at a loss on how to navigate the impasse. 

There are others, such as finance minister Enoch Godongwana, who have turned on the DA, mainly due to its vociferous opposition to his VAT hike. A number of ANC national executive committee members hold the view that the DA pushed the ANC too far during the budget talks.

The DA emerged from the talks at the weekend describing them as “constructive”, “respectful” and “frank”, a marked shift from the hardline stance it adopted in the run-up to the vote in parliament two weeks ago, which the party is now challenging in court. 

SA is not out of the woods yet and there are many hurdles for the two parties to overcome — it remains unclear whether they will stay the course. 

If they do and if they find a way to truly “reset” their relationship, they should begin by simply talking more, face to face. This is the basic requirement for stability in any relationship. 

Second, they should formulate a solid policy platform, which both parties agree on. 

A national coalition is new in SA, but there are lessons to be learnt globally. More than 40 countries are governed through some form of interparty collaboration. Research shows that policy disagreements are at the heart of most unstable and ineffective coalitions. 

Setting up concrete guidelines and solid agreements on policy is crucial for stability. 

It should have been the first port of call for SA’s GNU after the cabinet was announced last year. The impasse over the VAT increase in the budget provides an opportunity for parties to go back to basics and reset their terms of engagement. 

This will require leadership and commitment from both parties, if there is still an appetite to maintain the GNU in its current form. What should be at the heart of their respective approaches to ongoing talks in the coming weeks is that it was the electorate that set them on this path and they remain accountable to citizens who stepped away from its preference for one party dominance for the first time in three decades. The same electorate will judge them harshly if they quit after their first major stumble. 

Patience, maturity and pragmatism are key to setting SA back
on a stable footing, which is increasingly becoming crucial to navigate turbulent global waters.