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IOL News
5 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
GNU at war with itself: One year on, ANC-DA coalition faces mounting cracks and public distrust
The GNU has all the hallmarks of a marriage on the rocks. This includes a lack of trust, public display of disrespect and contempt for each other, and lack of commitment. Image: IOL Graphics One year after South Africa entered uncharted political territory with the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) following the ANC's 40 per cent showing at the polls, a fragile coalition is already showing deep fault lines — both within and without. Formed in the wake of the May 2024 general elections — where the African National Congress (ANC) fell to 40.2% of the vote, losing its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years — the GNU was heralded as a pragmatic response to a fragmented electorate. Instead, it has become a lightning rod for political tension, public distrust, and rising opposition fire. The ANC, long dominant in South African politics, turned to the Democratic Alliance (DA), which secured 21.81% of the vote, along with smaller parties such as the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM), to form a broad coalition. But it was a union born of necessity, not ideological harmony. In an opinion piece published by IOL, political analyst, Professor Sipho Seepe, said the ANC's failures were fuelling DA's anti-transformation agenda. The persistent bickering between the ANC and DA is to be expected. The GNU is, after all, a marriage of inconvenience. Neither party has ever expressed love for the other. The GNU has all the hallmarks of a marriage on the rocks. This includes a lack of trust, public display of disrespect and contempt for each other, and lack of commitment. Both parties have tried to argue that the GNU was born out of necessity. A political analyst, Professor Dirk Kotze, said the GNU therefore has a serious challenge ahead of it. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In an opinion piece, Kotze said the GNU concept was caught in different political realities. 'The biggest exception is the ANC which is most divided on the GNU – take for example the ANC's ministers who are defending the GNU in comparison with the stance of Panyaza Lesufi who is supporting it vocally but not acting by it,' he said. He described Zille and ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula's fights as the GNU's doom-and-gloom. President Cyril Ramaphosa, the DA, Patriotic Alliance, and Freedom Front Plus are the GNU's most vocal supporters, he said, adding that other partners like the IFP, UDM, PAC and al-Jamaah are less visible but still very much inside the GNU camp. Disputes erupted almost immediately over the allocation of ministerial positions. The ANC initially offered the DA six cabinet posts, including critical portfolios like Basic Education and Home Affairs. But DA leader John Steenhuisen demanded more, igniting weeks of wrangling that weakened public confidence. DA Federal Council chair Helen Zille defended the coalition as a 'firewall' against an ANC-EFF-MK axis, saying, if we let a coalition of the ANC, MK, and EFF go into government, it would burn our hopes and dreams. But the DA's continued friction with the ANC has made that firewall look increasingly unstable. Meanwhile, opposition parties excluded from the GNU have seized the moment to stoke dissent. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Julius Malema, have labeled the DA 'the enemy,' while MK Party leader Jacob Zuma has accused the ANC of betraying the liberation struggle by partnering with former adversaries. Tensions have escalated on economic fronts. The GNU's recent decision to raise Value-Added Tax (VAT) to fund expanded social programs was met with sharp resistance from the DA, which voted against the national budget — a stunning move for a governing partner. The EFF, in turn, hailed the budget rejection as a symbolic victory against neoliberalism. Credit ratings agency Fitch has flagged the GNU's internal instability and warned that any future overtures toward the EFF or MK Party could threaten South Africa's economic trajectory. The policy uncertainty and ideological divisions within the coalition raise red flags for investor confidence and fiscal discipline, it said in a recent note.
Eyewitness News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Thought leaders caution against tensions between states overshadowing G20 priorities
JOHANNESBURG - Thought leaders at the University of South Africa (UNISA) have warned that a lack of global credibility for the G20 grouping could impact the bloc's priorities if tensions between member states overshadow talks. UNISA kicked off the first of a series of town hall discussions to be held across the country in the build-up to the G20 leaders' summit at the end of the year. The increasingly complicated geopolitical landscape is expected to test South Africa's ability to navigate global fault lines. UNISA's Vice-Chancellor, Puleng LenkaBula, said the global system is under tremendous pressure, with the tensions between Washington and Pretoria adding to challenges. 'It's not yet clear if the next country that should take over the G20 Presidency will even attend the summit. That's one of the simple questions.' Political analyst Dirk Kotze said the G20 policy agenda needs to adapt to the changing patterns of power to avoid further clashes in policy priorities. 'And I think this is the issue in G20, and I think it's also the issue in BRICS, that there are new emerging powers. India is a good example, that's not anymore compliant and sees itself as the East or the West or the Global South, they don't want to be themselves. They think Africa is very much moving in that same direction.' ALSO READ: Trump says he won't attend G20 meeting unless SA 'fixes' genocide of white Afrikaners
IOL News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
GNU partners face off as DA challenges Employment Equity Act in court
The Pretoria High Court has reserved judgment on the DA's case against the Employment Equity Act. Image: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers The tension within South Africa's Government of National Unity (GNU) reached a boiling point this week as the Democratic Alliance (DA) initiated court proceedings against the Department of Employment and Labour's controversial Employment Equity Act amendments. This legal action is seen as a manifestation of long-standing policy disagreements among coalition partners, which political analysts argue were never properly resolved when forming the GNU. Unisa political studies lecturer Professor Dirk Kotze highlighted the absence of a comprehensive policy agreement when the coalition was formed. 'What is happening now is that each of them, when they emerge, it becomes a dispute or crisis like it was with the Expropriation Act, the Bela Act, and the National Health Insurance because there is no new legislation now,' said Kotze. 'It's symptomatic of the fact that they didn't negotiate the complete agreement on both policy matters in general or across the board, and that these issues now emerge one by one, and they have to actually deal with them piecemeal, instead of in a comprehensive way,' he said. The Employment Equity Amendment Act, passed by Parliament in 2022, empowers the Minister of Employment and Labour to set sector-specific numerical targets aimed at achieving equity within the workplace. In its constitutional challenge, the DA argues that Section 15A undermines fundamental principles of equality before the law. After hearing arguments by the parties on Tuesday, the Pretoria High Court reserved judgment in the application. The DA insists the amendments on the Employment Equity Act are unconstitutional and violate the principle of equality before the law. DA federal chairperson Helen Zille told the media earlier this week that the Employment Equity Amendment Act discriminated unfairly and unconstitutionally. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading 'It is grossly unfair and gives totalitarian powers of social engineering to the Minister of Labour, who will be able to set rigid national targets for every economic sector, without any regard to the context of specific firms, and impose extremely heavy fines and the risk of criminal conviction for failure to meet them. 'This can no longer be classified as a target. It amounts to an enabling law for the minister to set rigid quotas, which have previously been found by our courts to be unconstitutional,' Zille said. She warned that the draconian labour regime created by the Employment Equity Amendment Act is likely to drive away investment and increase unemployment. 'Companies and potential investors have repeatedly cited these social engineering laws as major barriers to investment and growth.' Employment and Labour Minister Nomakhosazana Meth said the setting of numerical targets for equitable representation of suitably qualified individuals from designated groups at all occupational levels was done after consulting relevant sectors and with the advice of the Employment Equity Commission. She said unlike rigid mandatory quotas, the Amendment Act introduces flexible employment equity targets and designated employers can set their annual numerical targets in their employment equity plans. Meth also said employers can justify their failure to meet the targets on reasonable grounds. 'The DA's challenge seeks to disrupt efforts aimed at achieving equitable representation and maintaining the inherently unfair status quo. 'By opposing these amendments, the DA is actively sabotaging the transformation goals that have been pursued since the end of the apartheid era, effectively hindering progress towards equality and fairness in the workplace. 'This stance is not only anti-transformation, but also a step backward in the fight for equality and fairness in the workplace,' said Meth. The ANC condemned the DA court challenge, saying it was a direct assault on the very foundation of South Africa's transformation journey. 'The DA's court challenge against section 15A of the EEAA, which introduces sector-specific numerical targets to correct racial imbalances in the workplace, reveals its enduring opposition to redress and equality,' spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said. Kotze said it was difficult to predict what could transpire after the court action between the ANC and the DA. However, he said should there be serious difference of opinion about policy matters, that can break up the GNU. 'The GNU is working very well for the DA. Their public support is increasing, so there is no reason for them to pull out.'
