GNU talks: Going nowhere, slowly

Saturday marks a month since the national elections took place. While the country has a president and Speaker of the National Assembly, and members of parliament have been sworn in, there is still no Cabinet, despite intense negotiations between parties who’ve joined the government of national unity (GNU).

Indications that all was not well came earlier this week when a letter from Helen Zille to ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was leaked in which the DA made several demands. A meeting was then set up between DA leader John Steenhuisen and President Cyril Ramaphosa.

After the initial bump in the road, it finally looked like all was on track for President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce his new Cabinet this week. By Wednesday though, things had taken a drastic turn, with the DA telling the ANC that the deal would be off if the party did not revert to the original terms of the agreement.

This is after Ramaphosa altered the terms of the agreement, replacing an offer for the trade, industry and competition minister with the tourism minister. He also changed the offer of seven deputy ministers to six deputy ministers, although the offer of six ministerial positions remained the same.

On Thursday, another letter was leaked. This time, the writer was Ramaphosa, and the addressee was Steenhuisen. In it Ramaphosa lashed out at the DA leader, accusing him of moving the goalposts.  

With no certainty yet that we’ll see a new government set up as soon as parties continue with their back and forth, Friday Briefing asked Professor Richard Calland and senior researcher at the Paternoster Group, Mike Law, to take a closer look at the statement of intent, and what it means for good governance and service delivery.  

We also have a submission from Tony Leon who was, as he put it, one of the midwives of the messy process where several “rough first drafts of history” were sketched. 

He reflects on several takeaways during negotiations between the DA and the ANC. 

We had asked a representative of the ANC to write about their views of the process but they unfortunately said on Thursday that they could no longer participate as the process was so fluid. 

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s Jan Hofmeyer examines what happened to the previous GNU, which collapsed. He writes that for the latest arrangement to have any prospect of success, the first order of business for this new government will have to be to nurture a sense of trust in each other’s primary commitment to the country as a whole over the preservation of their respective political constituencies.

The current animosity suggests that this will be a hard task going forward. 

The final contribution takes a step away from the GNU, with News24 investigative reporter Sikonathi Mantshantsha reflecting on what the swearing in of ANC MP Zizi Kodwa, who is facing fraud and corruption charges, says about the ANC.

Let’s hope by next week we have clearer idea of where the country is heading. 

Best, 

Vanessa Banton 

Opinions editor.