Parties working alongside the African National Congress (ANC) do not always have to back the former ruling party, says a political analyst. This as South Africa braces for a coalition arrangement dubbed the ‘government of national unity’, or GNU 2.0 for short.
President Cyril Ramaphosa secured a second term with support from former foes, including the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP). Familiar allies, like Al Jama-ah, have also boarded the GNU ship.
Speaking in an interview on Salaamedia on Monday, amidst ongoing talks between parties, political analyst Professor Sam Khoma said merely committing to the GNU did not prevent parties from disagreeing with the ANC, which was until last month the ruling party.
“The only thing they’ve agreed on in the statement of intent is that [they] are committed to the building of a nonracial, nonsexist and prosperous society … We still have, for example, UDM, PAC, IFP playing that role in terms of opposing certain pieces of legislation or certain motions that they are not agreeing to,” he said.
The statement of intent, signed by 10 out of 18 parties in Parliament, commits parties to upholding 10 fundamental principles. Chief among those is respect for the Constitution and the rule of law.
On Monday, it was reported tensions were brewing between two of the largest parties in the GNU 2.0. The ANC and DA were apparently at loggerheads over crucial posts, including that of deputy president.
GNU 2.0: Parties don’t always have to agree, says expert
616
