By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says the Government of National Unity (GNU) has been established and that parties of the GNU have agreed on an all inclusive dialogue.
The ANC has been forced to seek an alliance with rivals after losing its parliamentary majority last month for the first time since 1994, securing only 40.2% of the vote.
Mbalula was addressing a press conference on Saturday after the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP) first sitting.
He says South Africa is not a failed democracy, making reference to the re-election of president Cyril Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa was elected president through a partnership or government of national unity involving the ANC, Democratic Alliance(DA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
“Despite the opposition from within we have shown maturing to the world that South Africa indeed is not a failed democracy. It is maturing and it is at a level of the advanced democracies in the African continent and the world,” Mbalula said.
He said Ramaphosa will announce an inclusive Cabinet after his inauguration.
“As it has already been announced the president will be inaugurated on the 19th of June 2024 and thereafter will announce an inclusive [Government of National Unity] GNU Cabinet,” he said.
The GOOD Party, Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) have signed the statement of intent to form a government of national unity. The PA signed on Friday, while GOOD and the IFP signed on Saturday.
Other parties including Al Jama-ah, African Transformation Movement (ATM), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), United Africans Transformation (UAT) and United Democratic Movement, said the ANC created an impression among citizens that it wanted all parties involved in GNU talks.
ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula, “What they are doing practically is having a coalition with their own parties, which they’ve included in the deals they’ve already concluded.
Zungula said what they were seeing now was a coalition with certain parties, but under the guise of a GNU, and the other parties that did not agree with some of the programme or some of the suggestions being excluded.
PAC president Mzwanele Nyhontso released a statement saying that they had expressed willingness to engage further with the ANC on the GNU, and said that they met with the ANC on its invitation.
“The PAC delegation expressed the willingness to engage further, emphasising that our support is contingent upon the modalities being worked out and further discussion by our NEC.”