Court expected to hear Zuma challenge against SABC over use of GNU term

JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg is expected to hear former President Jacob Zuma’s challenge against the SABC over its use of the term ‘Government of National Unity’ (GNU) on Monday.  

Zuma argued that the SABC has a unique responsibility and cannot peddle false, inaccurate, and politically biased narratives to describe the current political arrangement.  

The former head of state submits that the seventh administration constitutes a grand coalition between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC).  

The parties launched an urgent application against the public broadcaster in 2024 over the matter. However, Judge Seena Yacoob found that it was not suitable to be adjudicated in the urgent court.  

In papers, Zuma and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party submit that the SABC is the primary source of information for millions of South Africans and that it is deliberately misleading for it to refer to the prevailing political dispensation as a GNU.  

The applicants rely on various definitions of a GNU which, among others, cite a nation that has undergone a catastrophic event requiring a united effort across previously divided sections of the nation.  

They, therefore, submit that the current arrangement does not fit the definition of a GNU.  

It is further submitted that the current system was birthed by the ANC and the DA, wherein a statement of intent was signed by Secretary General Fikile Mbalula and federal chairperson Helen Zille, respectively.  

They added that another requirement for a GNU is that parties representing 85% to 90% form part of the government.  

However, the applicants submit that two major parties, representing approximately 25% of the electorate - the MK Party itself and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) - were excluded as a pre-condition by the DA.  

The SABC is expected to vehemently oppose the application.