LISTEN: Political analyst weighs in on GNU's future
This discussion piqued interest after an opinion article penned by ANC member, Mzwandile Masina was published in Central News.
The DA and ANC entered into an arrangement in the Government of National Unity. Picture: GCIS
Tshidi Madia standing in for Clement Manyathela speaks to Doctor Kagiso Pooe, a senior lecturer focusing on five specialist Public Public Policy, Researcher and Political analyst about the current state of the GNU and the myriad of of disagreements between all the parties in the GNU.
It's important to note, this discussion piqued interest after an opinion article penned by ANC member, Mzwandile Masina was published in Central News titled: 'The government of national unity (GNU) conundrum and misdiagnosed existential crisis facing South Africa.'
The article was published on 23 December 2024, click here to read the full article for context.
In response, the following discussion took place between Madia and Pooe.
Pooe says, 'the ANC, like many South African parties are struggling to give South Africans an answer about what the future looks like because they are no longer the metric that holds it together.'
"It's maybe something we have to come to grips with as a country that for the longest time, the Democratic Alliance (DA) was seen as South Africa's number two or number three... but even in this election, the major winner was not them, they happened to find themselves strategically in a position of being in a grand coalition."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
At what point is it beneficial for the DA to remain relevant by complaining or making demands and seemingly exhausting the public by threatening to leave the GNU if their demands aren't met? Asks Madia.
"So, the reality of saying they make demands is also a way to remain relevant to their constituency and how do you remain relevant? By saying this is our demands and this what we'll work towards..."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
"Until they go to their own funders and say this is enough... it's a question of saying listen we need to look relevant to our members. Because reality is, if this thing was really to fall apart on the side of the DA... they're in a position where they could take their 20% and go back to being the official opposition of the country but this thing [GNU] by virtue of the mechanics and how it works could continue without them so I don't really take the tantrums that loudly because the funders have given them a line of march..."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
"... and that's something we haven't quite explored in South Africa which is to say, what happens with the power of funders that they basically can tell you, 'listen you're going to be in a relationship you don't like, within this relationship, we give you all the freedoms to shout, scream and throw tantrums but at the end of the day, you go back to your ministries and you will listen.' That is something quite powerful that we fully haven't explored in South Africa and we're just seeing it through the Democratic Alliance."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
"The funders would have a red line to say enough is enough... and if they go over the line, they go back to the official opposition of South Africa and back to doing what they've been doing for the longest time... and that's what they like and what they're comfortable with... so for me, I don't see where the DA actually loses..."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
"...when we calculate who loses, the biggest loser from this is the one party who has coined the whole term of this grand coalition because they are struggling to keep members in order."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
Pooe believes the focus should not be so much on the differences and inner workings of the GNU but rather on how they are working together for South Africans and making the country's service delivery better.
"I do give them time... but in truth, most citizens are really saying 'wow, what has changed? The price of bread is still going up... our lives are not improving.' There's nothing really that has changed for South Africans. As a South African citizen, what's really changed for you?
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst
"So, those that are in the grand coalition from the ANC side, it's great for them - so this question of making the margins frayer would actually force the government to think more about doing service delivery better."
- Kagiso Pooe, Political Analyst