JUDITH FEBRUARY: For the GNU to work properly it needs shrewd and consistent, focused and bold leadership

President Ramaphosa has been very busy playing host to the G20 meeting as South Africa takes over its Presidency. The world is in a state of flux as new global alliances look set to form given the capricious nature of United States (US) leadership.

As Ramaphosa busied himself with the G20, he took his eye off the domestic ball. For the first time in our democratic history, the Budget speech was postponed. We are told this is because of a spat within the GNU regarding a VAT hike. The DA in particular is against this proposal and negotiations are ongoing.

Ironically, South Africans barely batted an eyelid and seem disconnected from this mess of process. This was possibly because the Budget postponement was overtaken by sudden loadshedding, which escalated to Stage 6. Another sign that state capture had its price and we are all still paying for it.

On the Budget postponement, it is normal for coalition partners to disagree and have ideological differences. We should therefore not over-react as some commentators have done. But, we should be disappointed. We should never have reached the point of postponement. Where was the President to lead and ensure that a Budget was presented last week? Leadership of a coalition government matters as does communication. This GNU is light on both. It causes uncertainty, confusion and instability, which given the moment of global peril we are in, we cannot afford. 12 March is a long way off.

But communication within the GNU has always been poor and the President’s leadership inconsistent and at times, hesitant. The GNU started off on a bumpy note last year when Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni spoke about ministers implementing policy and making pronouncements: “Whoever said ‘this is the policy I’m going to implement’ – no. Whoever said ‘this is the priority I’m going to implement’ – no…“It should be stressed that both the President and individual ministers are duty bound to take to the Cabinet issues of policy [and] significant decisions,” she said. “Failure to do so could undermine the validity of such a decision.”

While the constitutional notion of collective responsibility as outlined in s92(1) of the Constitution is understandable, there were tea leaves to be read in that statement. S 92(1) says “the Deputy President and Ministers are responsible for the powers and functions of the executive assigned to them by the President. (2) Members of the Cabinet are accountable collectively and individually to Parliament for the exercise of their powers and the performance of their functions.”

While the GNU of necessity needs to prioritise policy areas, one must ask where this fierce commitment to “collective Cabinet responsibility” was during, say Mantashe’s tenure as minister of mineral resources and energy? On this basis, Mantashe ought to have been fired years ago. He has openly flouted the President and policy on energy. But we all know what she really meant was: ministers who are not of the ANC should not tell the ANC what to do.

Last week was therefore a bitter lesson, that the President must lead and the ANC needs to fully grasp that coalition politics is hard and requires nous.
If neither the ANC nor the DA want to suffer a diminished electoral fate at the local government elections, further splintering our politics, the GNU must be coherent across all levels of government. But equally for the GNU to work, there needs to be thoughtful interlocutors. Ntshavheni is not that person unfortunately. After all, she faces fraud charges herself. Neither is it Helen Zille.

The awkward moment where Ntshavheni, Finance minister Enoch Godongwana and National Treasury director-general Duncan Pieterse were caught on a ‘live mic’ in the following exchange indicated how messy communications are. Pieterse can be heard saying to Godongwana: “I’m glad you took the question about the commissioner. You answered it much better than I would have.” Godongwana replied: “Oh no, I was a bit worried. He is making me angry, even here he comes up with this rubbish. I said, how would it help me on the 19th, even now on the 12th? He did not know that we’ve made provision for 3.5 in the new arrangement, but that 3.5 now is gone.”

Amateur hour indeed and shows the deep rift between Godongwana and SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter. That relationship is axiomatic and so the ‘live mic’ moment was not only embarrassing but also worrying.

For the GNU to work properly, it needs shrewd and consistent, focused and bold leadership from the President, together with his GNU partners and also proper communication. This is all crucial for any government which wishes to lead with conviction and consideration for the people it leads.