Jury still out on look of new SA’s government

Amid mixed reactions over South Africa’s incoming government, political analyst, Lesego More, says taking away the kingmaker’s status and pursuing a Government of National Unity (GNU) is a well-calculated move.

He says politics tend to be volatile when you put too much power in the hands of one actor.

Yesterday, the ANC decided to invite all political parties to join the executive in a bid to constitute the 7th administration.

The ANC’s decision follows robust coalition talks with various political parties since the announcement of the election results, in which they failed to garner the majority votes to govern independently of other parties.

ANC president, Cyril Ramaphos,a says a GNU is the most viable, most effective and most powerful way of meeting the expectations of all South Africans at this particular moment.

“We accept the outcome of this election as the will of the people. We now say as NEC we have heard the concerns and frustrations of people of South Africa,” says Ramaphosa.

More agrees with Ramaphosa.

“So, what this means is you sort of take away the kingmaker’s status from any of these political parties, when you invite as many of them as possible. Whoever decides to walk away from this GNU at a later stage, it doesn’t affect anything because the parties that would then remain still constitute a significant majority.”

More says a GNU assists with disarming political parties by making unrealistic demands.

He adds that political parties that decide to snub the invitation by the ANC will remain in the opposition benches and play a significant role in holding those in power accountable.

Former Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, has also weighed in on the matter, applauding the ANC for its decision.

She says this will enable some form of power sharing.

For South Africa’s democracy to survive, it must involve and work for all. Let us applaud President Ramaphosa and the ANC Leadership for proposing a Government of National Unity (GNU) to enable some form of power sharing with all who are committed to give life to our… pic.twitter.com/GWyNBSXyGf

— Prof Thuli Madonsela #KindnessBuilds (@ThuliMadonsela3) June 7, 2024

EFF leader Julius Malema did not miss the opportunity to take a swipe at Ramaphosa, accusing his party of disregarding the electorate.

“We can’t share power with the enemy.”

The arrogance continues even after the South African voters issued warning signs. You can’t dictate the way forward as if you have won elections. We are not desperate for anything, ours is a generational mission.

— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) June 6, 2024

Meanwhile, PAC leader, Narius Moloto, says a Government of National Unity may not be as effective as intended.

Moloto says while it may have worked in the past, the current national unity will experience challenges.

He says South Africans are yet to experience a conflict of interest in the envisioned unity.

“We know that these parties, others put more emphasis on the development of the poor people, the grassroots, the more suffering, while others put more emphasis on the corporate or the middle class. We will see how these two can be reconciled in reality.”

Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) CEO, Cas Coovadia, says an effective GNU could be a unifying factor for the country.

He says while it may work in theory, it’s up to the ANC to decide on the kind of people that they will have in the cabinet.

Coovadia says this is what will ensure the success of the governance model.

He adds that critical challenges such as unemployment, economic growth and income inequality should be a top priority for the incoming government.

It remains to be seen whether opposition parties will come to the party.