TIISETSO MOTSOENENG: Managing the inherent squabbles of the GNU

The ANC and DA took centre stage last week with a performance that was as dramatic as it was disheartening. Their public bickering over the Expropriation Act amounted to immature noise that threatened to sour the mood in boardrooms and beyond. 

Before last week the DA had twice threatened to withdraw from the government of national unity (GNU), which includes eight other smaller parties. In June, just weeks after joining the GNU, it issued an ultimatum after the ANC seemingly ignored the agreement they both signed to govern the coalition.

The DA felt aggrieved by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s allocation of posts, arguing they were handed far fewer than their proportional entitlement based on the election results, and that this went against the spirit of the coalition agreement. 

Then it publicly drew a red line around the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act, only to capitulate later, raising uncomfortable questions about whether the DA and ANC are in an abusive relationship that is headed for inevitable break-up.     

The ANC’s response was a dismissive shrug, with secretary-general Fikile Mbalula telling reporters at one press conference “If the DA wants to leave the GNU they can leave tonight, they can leave tomorrow. Any time they want to leave or they wish to leave. They can go”.

Far from demonstrating strength, this kind of rhetoric only fuels the perception of a fractured and dysfunctional coalition. It suggests a lack of willingness to engage in good faith negotiations and a disregard for the concerns of coalition partners. 

The relationship resembles a bickering couple airing their dirty laundry for all to see. Instead of resolving disagreements in private, like most functioning partnerships, they choose to argue loudly in public, frequently punctuating their disputes with threats of divorce. 

To be sure the GNU was never going to be all sweetness and light given that the set-up involves multiple political parties with clashing ideologies, constituents and approaches to governance. The ANC and DA, as ringmasters, have different agendas and priorities, leading to inevitable friction and occasional fireworks.

The chaos is par for the course in coalition politics. And it is necessary. The tension acts as a crucial check, preventing unilateral actions and ensuring that policies are debated and emerge battle-tested. It is the lifeblood of democracy, a dynamic push-and-pull that guards against autocratic tendencies.

It’s not about the ANC or DA; it’s about SA. Different views bring varied perspectives — urban and rural, business and labour, young and old. It is the pulse of inclusivity. This tension is not unique to our shores. Across continents, cabinets form through similar negotiations. Coalitions emerge, alliances shift and ministers move between portfolios.

The signing of the Expropriation Act pits the ANC’s transformation agenda against the DA’s emphasis on property rights — both of which are embodied in the constitution. The question is whether coalition partners get to meddle with laws passed by the previous administration.

National Health Insurance (NHI) is another sword of Damocles hanging over the GNU. The DA has already another red line, insisting it is a constitutional disaster waiting to happen and a sure-fire way to tank the multibillion-rand private healthcare sector. “If there is an insistence on NHI, it will not be tolerated,” DA leader John Steenhuisen told reporters.

Meanwhile, the country is on tenterhooks, waiting for the sword to fall and uncertain whether any other red lines drawn by the DA will bring the GNU down or simply turn out to be more empty threats. 

The financial markets seem unfazed — for now. The rand is among the best-performing currencies in emerging markets, government bonds paint a rosy picture of the perceived risk of lending money to the state and the stock market, which notched up the strongest third quarter in more than a decade, suggests investors are confident the GNU can propel economic growth. 

According to the Reserve Bank Quarterly Bulletin, released in December, portfolio inflows by foreign investors totalled R45bn in the third quarter, flipping the script on the outflow of R20bn in the previous three months. The last time SA recorded net inflows was in 2022.

Still, these public squabbles infused with threats of collapsing the GNU and dismissive, indifferent gestures reflect immaturity in the highest echelons of leadership. It’s a spectacle that undermines the very essence of governance, making it seem more like a soap opera than a serious attempt at running the country. 

It’s a reflection of a worrying lack of focus on the greater good, eroding public trust, risking the goodwill of citizens and threatening to reverse the gains in business confidence that have been made in recent months. Conflict is a natural part of any relationship. Squabbles about land reform, the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act Act and NHI go to the heart of our political system.

Both parties need to take a step back and appreciate the rhythm. It’s a beautiful struggle that injects novel ideas, reforms and approaches to ensure more robust governance.

But they also need to be called out for how they handle those conflicts. Mature couples resolve disputes without the melodrama of divorce threats and feigned nonchalance. Immature management of these conflicts casts a shadow over the main act — stable governance — turning a necessary and expected collision of ideas about governance into a farce rather than a serious attempt at running the country.

• Motsoeneng is acting editor.