The DA’s withdrawal from the national dialogue and its intention to vote against the departmental budgets of corruption accused ANC ministers raises serious questions about the future of the government of national unity (GNU) (“The return of the politics of spectacle”, June 30).
The GNU as it stands is failing to deliver on the hopes it inspired. What began as a bold step towards inclusive governance and political co-operation has, sadly, become a battleground of mistrust, unilateral decisions and selective accountability.
The DA’s frustrations are valid. South Africans are indeed tired of corruption, tired of broken promises and tired of being left out of the conversations that shape their daily lives. But this makes it all the more important that those elected to lead do not abandon dialogue, however difficult. We cannot rebuild this country through walkouts and public outrage.
It’s also important to ask: if the DA no longer believes the GNU is functioning in good faith, why does it remain in it? Why stay in a governing structure that, by its own words, undermines its founding principles?
The GNU has no clearly defined public framework — no full, transparent agreement that the public or partners can refer to. We hear constant reference to a “statement of intent,” but this document has not been respected in practice, and if there are further binding agreements among GNU parties the people have a right to know what they contain.
True democracy is built on openness, integrity and accountability. We have a right to full publication of any and all GNU agreements, and I urge all coalition partners — including the ANC and DA — to recommit themselves to the promises they made to the SA people in 2024.
South Africans did not vote for closed rooms, withheld information and political score-settling. They voted for leadership, honesty and change. If the GNU cannot deliver that, perhaps it is not unity but truth and transparency that we need most.
Tsepo Mhlongo
Orlando East
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 200 words may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.