When Anglican archbishop Thabo Makgoba talked in his Easter sermon of the “grandstanding and political one-upmanship” of SA’s politicians, he also warned of a “a crisis of confidence” in democratic governance.
This caution has come at a key moment given recent rumbling of a reset of the government of national unity (GNU) amid ongoing budget high jinks. The point is that the credibility of the budget, one of SA’s internationally acknowledged strengths, was damaged when on February 19 its tabling was delayed by that SA tendency — the political solution. Finding the political solution is a short-term, issue-linked, often artless deal that undermines governance principle and damages SA’s body politic.
Politicians blame the GNU statement of intent for their woes, but this is a purposeful and mischievous deflection. Yes, the constitution’s 14-day limit to form a government is tough when no-one wins the election outright, as happened in May 2024 — Germany took six weeks to finalise its 144-page coalition deal, after all — but the need for coalitions does not come from nowhere. Nationwide conversations on coalitions unfolded for most of 2023, even leading to a draft framework, including recommendations for a public coalitions office.
Deputy president Paul Mashatile took part in those coalition conversations. He told the August 2023 two-day national coalition dialogue that the government was aware coalition-building was “contentious” and how “those who govern also owe accountability to the people at all times, for without accountability the process of governance is compromised”.
The nine-page GNU statement of intent signed in mid-June, shortly after the May elections that cost the ANC its 30-year majority, lays a solid basis. It includes principles such as social justice, constitutional democracy and the rule of law, priorities such as redressing joblessness and boosting economic growth, and co-operation rules, or modalities, like consultations between the president and party leaders and everyone having to agree for a new party to join.
The devil is in the modality detail. It’s easy for anyone to talk pretty about a better SA, but getting around the table and compromising for the national interest is the real test of coalition governance and political leadership. Instead, grandstanding and political one-upmanship prevails.
The deadlock breaking mechanism was established in an apparent PR exercise well after tensions emerged. The mechanism’s inaugural meeting postponed taking any decisions to the next meeting, where to anyone’s best knowledge no decisions were taken either. Established like a cabinet committee, everything this mechanism does is secret.
More importantly the GNU consultation council still has not got off the ground. Meant to be “responsible for consultations” within the GNU, according to the statement of intent, it must also monitor progress on priorities and align the government’s programmes, resourcing and implementation. Sounds like just the instrument to have prevented the budget debacle! Or other quarrels.
Instead, word has emerged of a push to lower the provision for sufficient consensus, which right now in effect requires the ANC and DA to agree. A suggested new lower threshold would mean the ANC could circumvent the DA if it has agreements from the smaller parties. That’s a little like what happened over parliament’s approval of the fiscal framework earlier in April, now challenged in court, which does not bode well for coalition governance.
Political leadership and strategic thinking are needed, not grandstanding and political one-upmanship or the short-term satisfaction of the political solution.
Loathe it or love it, the GNU engenders warm fuzzy feelings among the majority of South Africans, from ordinary folks to analysts and organised business. How things unfold from here will be a defining moment for SA.
• Merten is a veteran political journalist specialising in parliament and governance.
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