GNU leaders say coalition is more cohesive, determined & focused than before

Government of National Unity (GNU) leaders said following their two-day retreat with President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Cradle of Mankind, the coalition is more cohesive, determined and focused than ever before.

Some leaders had, since the budget and National Dialogue impasse, complained that Ramaphosa had not convened meetings with them to iron out sticking points.

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Thegathering has now also adopted the terms of reference for the clearing house, the dispute resolution mechanism for the GNU.

Freedom Front (FF) Plus leader Corne Mulder has described the discussions as fruitful and constructive.

“We touched on various issues, nationally as well as internationally, and we’ve set a way forward and we hope these meetings will now happen more regularly. But I think, in general, it was constructive, it was positive and the GNU is focused on the way forward.”

Reflecting on the work of the last 16 months, Patriotic Alliance (PA) leader Gayton McKenzie said there were no holds barred.

“We were straightforward, we recommitted ourselves to solidify the GNU. We’ve agreed on the way forward which is to give services to our people, to make sure that the unity of the GNU is sacrosanct. The GNU is solid, very solid.”

United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa said reviewing the journey travelled since the establishment of the GNU, the coalition is still on the right track, but there are urgent matters that still require attention.

“We feel strongly that we need to look into the areas where people are hungry. We also raised concerns about the state of security forces in the country, that the crime is getting out of control.”

The GOOD Party’s Brett Herron said he’s encouraged by the coalition’s pledge to deal with the gravity of food security and water shortages.

“It was important for party leaders to spend some time together in an environment like this where we tackled some difficult issues but also got to know each other in a more social environment.”

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