Mantashe unfazed by DA’s GNU threats, says EFF and MKP viable options

ANC National Chairperson, Gwede Mantashe, says the DA can walk out of the GNU and make way for other organisations, such as the MK Party and EFF.

Earlier this week, DA leader, John Steenhuisen, issued a stern warning to the President not to fire his comrade – Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, over the Bela Act – saying that would signal the end of the GNU.

Steenhuisen’s stance is in line with the Chairperson of the DA’s Federal Council, Helen Zille, who has made threats to walk away from the partnership on several occasions.

Most notable was Zille’s social media uproar when Deputy President, Paul Mashatile, announced that the much-anticipated inaugural National Dialogue would be held on the 16th of December.

She wrote on X: “We made it clear, from the start of the GNU negotiations, that the National Dialogue must be a joint initiative, planned and executed by the key GNU governance partners. But here goes the ANC, unilaterally as usual, as if they won the election.”

However, Mantashe isn’t fazed.

He says no party can collapse the GNU and should that happen – other parties will be invited to the table.

“Some of the parties don’t want to talk face to face with one another if she [Zille] goes, she is creating space for MKP and EFF. They are waiting there; they want to come but they don’t want to sit in the same cabinet with the DA.”

Mantashe says the Government of National Unity (GNU) is not just the DA and ANC.

“If the DA walks away, we will have a working GNU. We must respect one another and relate to one another well. I don’t think it’s the DA, because there are six DA ministers in the cabinet, all of them work well with us except for two of them that I won’t mention their names.”

Political analyst, Professor Sam Koma, says the DA is using fear-mongering tactics in a bid to sway the Cabinet and get what it wants.

He, however, says while the ANC is moving to counter the DA’s tactic, a partnership between the former liberation movement and the EFF is highly unlikely.

“Both the EFF and the MK Party are ideologically opposed to the ANC on a number of issues which makes the marriage between these parties and the ANC remote and unlikely.”

Another analyst, Goodenough Mashego, says both the ANC and DA are just flexing their muscles.

He says it won’t be easy an easy road for the ANC if the DA leaves the partnership.

“Mantashe’s utterances that they can invite the MK Party as a plan B or side chick is impossible. The expectations from the MKP will be very high, they’ve made it clear that they can’t be in a GNU where Cyril Ramaphosa is the president,” adds Mashego.

In the same breath, Mashego believes that the DA is also not in a position to leave the GNU.

The GNU was formed after the May elections, marking the ANC’s largest dip in electoral votes since the dawn of democracy, 30 years ago.

Ten political parties, including the Patriotic Alliance, the United Democratic Party (UDM) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) are part of the historic agreement, which many say marked the beginning of a multi-party governance across all three spheres of government in the country.