By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) party leader Jacob Zuma has slammed the unity government – calling it “meaningless” and a “white-led unholy alliance”.
The final Government of National Unity (GNU) agreement was signed at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the venue hosting the first sitting of the seventh Parliament, on 14 June 2024.
The GNU consists of the ANC, DA, IFP, PA and GOOD Party together they have an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly.
It outlines that parties will cooperate “in both the Executive and the Legislature,” which means that this would encompass ministerial appointments and Parliament.
The agreement entails the DA voting in favour of Cyril Ramaphosa as President and Thoko Didiza as Speaker of the National Assembly. In return, the ANC will support the nomination of a DA candidate as Deputy Speaker.
The IFP is set to be given the role of chair of chairs.
The document leaves open the possibility that other parties may join the GNU later, subject to the agreement of the original parties.
According to this statement of intent, parties that want to form part of the GNU must commit to upholding the following principles:
- Respect for the Constitution, the Bill of Rights in its entirety, a united South Africa and the rule of law;
- Non-racialism and non-sexism;
- Social justice, redress and equity, and the alleviation of poverty;
- Human dignity and the progressive realisation of socio-economic rights;
- Nation-building, social cohesion and unity in diversity;
- Peace, stability and safe communities, especially for women and children;
- Accountability, transparency and community participation in government;
- Evidence-based policy and decision-making;
- A professional, merit-based, non-partisan, developmental public service that puts people first;
- Integrity, good governance and accountable leadership.
Zuma said there was no government of national unity in South Africa and instead described it as an “unholy alliance” between the ANC of Cyril Ramaphosa and the DA.
“We have asked our lawyers to write a letter of demand to the SABC to stop deliberately misleading South Africans by using terms like GNU or GPU [government of provincial unity] to refer to present sellout coalitions. This is nothing but a return of apartheid and colonialism,” Zuma said during a press briefing in Johannesburg on Sunday evening.
“There is no government of national unity in SA. There is a white-led unholy alliance between the DA and the ANC of [President Cyril] Ramaphosa. It is sponsored by big business, and it’s for the benefit of the markets and not the people,” he claimed.
Zuma’s press conference follows the MK party’s decision not to attend the first National Assembly sitting of the 7th administration on Friday.
The party has claimed that election results were rigged, but has provided no evidence to support its claims. It tried to interdict the National Assembly sitting, but the Constitutional Court dismissed its application.
Fullview has reported earlier that the party has applied to the Electoral Court to have the elections set aside.
During the briefing, the party has also announced that it would have its members sworn into the National Assembly with the intention of joining the opposition, under the Progressive Caucus banner.
The Progressive Caucus consists of the EFF, United Democratic Movement, Al Jama-ah, United Africans Transformation, African Transformation Movement and the Pan-Africanist Congress.
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