Inaugural meeting of GNU's clearing house mechanism went well

CAPE TOWN - The Presidency said that Wednesday night's inaugural meeting of the Government of National Unity (GNU)'s clearing house mechanism went well.

The forum is intended to resolve policy disputes between the ten political parties.

The first meeting considered matters related to the G20, the national dialogue and the contention around the BELA Act.

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One hundred days into the GNU and political parties say they are getting on very well and new ministers are now well entrenched in their portfolios.

But they went into the partnership at odds with legislation that was already in the pipeline, such as the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act.

The GNU clearing house mechanism, chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, will grapple with these matters.

His office said that Wednesday night's meeting got off to a good start.

It received reports on South Africa's presidency of the G20 summit, which it will host next year, preparations for the national dialogue and the two deferred clauses of the BELA Act.

The forum said it would also deal with the challenges and contradictions of coalition arrangements at provincial and local government level.

Another meeting is scheduled for next week to finalise the draft terms of reference on how the mechanism will work.