By From the inception of the Government of National Unity (GNU), naysayers said the coalition between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC) disguised as a GNU will self-distract and will collapse in two years.
A timeline has been set and all eyes are on the GNU to see whether the melancholy will be proven wrong by the GNU or prove those opposing the GNU correct.
Recent public outrages by the DA over the ANC gave a glimpse that all might not be so well in the GNU marriage, it seems like the one is cheating the other, prior arrangements and agreement are being ignored and squabbles are now spilling out in public.
During the bilateral engagement at the XVI BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, President Cyril Ramaphosa told the President of Russia Vladimir Putin that he and Russia are a valuable ally and friend to South Africa.
Ramaphosa also affirmed Russia that the GNU is on board and is working well with plans to expand the economy of South Africa and reduce poverty and also increase its export capacity by strengthening trade relations with fellow BRICS member countries including Russia.
The DA Leader John Steenhuisen poured cold water on Ramaphosa’s statement, a totally different reflection of a united GNU that the President was trying to sell on an international platform.
The DA, positioning itself as the spokesperson and representatives of all South Africans and the GNU itself, said Putin and Russia are not allies of South Africa and distanced themselves from what President Cyril Ramaphosa said.
Steenhuisen said the his party cannot and will not agree that South Africa should consider an authoritarian regime, that is currently violating international law by waging an imperialist war of aggression against a sovereign state, as an ally.
He further pointed out before saying anything in public, the President should subject his views to a debate within the GNU so that he can take a position that the GNU agrees with. Basically, he can’t just talk; he must consult first, despite being the President of the country.
These utterances by the DA Leader, compromises Ramaphosa and undermines everything he said about the GNU at BRICS and other international gatherings. Russia may take offence to hear and see that some of the members of the GNU have a negative view about them and reject them as allies.
Russia is a historical ally of South Africa dating back during the apartheid era in 1942 when it was still the Soviet Union, some of the liberation combats were trained in the Soviet Union and it supplied arms for the forces, it helped fight and end apartheid in South Africa.
The criticism not only undermines bilateral relations between the two countries, but is a spit in the face of Russia and a betrayal to Ramaphosa and those who were involved in establishing the relationship between the two countries.
While the country was still recovering from this, the Deputy President of South Africa Paul Mashatile announced that the inaugural National Dialogue will be held on 16 December. The DA’s Chairperson of the Federal Council Helen Zille lashed out at the ANC and was quick to remind them that the agreement from the negotiations of the GNU was that the National Dialogue should be a joint initiative, planned and executed by the key GNU governance partners, but here goes the ANC making announcements without consultation as if they won the elections outright.
It seems there is some unhappiness in the GNU between the ANC and the DA; it seems DA wants to assume power not accorded to it, while the ANC is trying ignore the DA. The two hold different ideological views, especially on international policy and is now clashing.
While the ANC supports Russia, the DA supports Ukraine. While the ANC supports Gaza, the DA supports Israel. The two parties are marching in different directions and it is beginning to show. At some point the DA was accused of attempting a soft coup because the kind of power they want to assume in the GNU.
The public comments by the DA then makes one wonder, how long will this go on? What impact does it have on the country’s international relations? Is it a GNU or coalition? If it is a GNU as the ANC insists it is; is the DA aware that they are in a GNU because they insists that it’s a coalition?
