South African politics are verging on absurdity or stepping toward a new optimistic beginning. As things stand, the millions who voted are in the dark about what is happening behind the scenes as political leaders decide the future of our country.
A question on many minds is whether the African National Congress (ANC) can redeem itself after its many failures. Has it sold out to the Democratic Party (DA) as some of its members have bemoaned? It was a bitter pill for many that the ANC and DA had become bedfellows in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The DA’s policies are akin to Thatcherism while the ANC, though on the surface neo-liberal, has been forced to look at developmental issues more seriously. Many are concerned that if the DA gets its way then progressive gains - like the minimum wage and student subsidies for higher education - could be scrapped.
The spotlight is on how the ANC reconfigures the government under the GNU and who President Ramaphosa appoints to key positions. Without open and direct communication, social media and news outlets are awash with speculation and mis/disinformation.
Ramaphosa's unenviable job is to accommodate all the parties in the GNU without alienating his party. The more parties that join the GNU the more advantageous it could be for the ANC. This could shore up support for its transformation agenda in the GNU voting structure to oppose the inevitable dissent from the DA on key ANC policy issues. Currently, ten parties in the GNU constitute just over 70% of those who voted.
EFF leader Julius Malema might have shot himself in the foot with his all-or-nothing approach, having demanded that if the party did not get the positions it wanted then it would stay out. But most importantly, the EFF has outright refused to participate in a GNU that includes the DA and FF+.
The EFF might have reached its peak with no prospects of growth in sight. While the DA took the gap to become part of the ruling government, Malema lost his chance to work with the ANC and make changes from the inside. Though Malema has matured politically in some ways, his arrogance might have gotten the better of him. It is not clear if the ANC has left the door open should the EFF change its mind.
However, should the DA leave the GNU if it is not satisfied with the Cabinet positions offered by Rampahosa, it would certainly open the door for the EFF to become part of the GNU. The DA leaving the GNU would also change the equation in both KZN and Gauteng - something that will be foremost in the minds of both the DA and the ANC. Is this the leverage the DA has used to hold the ANC to ransom?
In the bunfight for leadership positions, one newspaper wrote that the DA wanted its leader John Steenhuisen to be in the Presidency. Another speculated that DA wanted him to be the Deputy President. It would be like putting salt on an open wound if this is true. This GNU cannot be compared to the Mandela/DeKlerk one that emerged from intense months-long negotiations in a different context.
While Steenhuisen might be popular in his party, to millions of South Africans he comes across as tone-deaf and racist. He defended one of his new MPs Renaldo Gouws for his vile comments using the K-word before Gouws was eventually suspended by the party. The DA’s election campaign had thrived on using Swart Gevaar tactics and '“rescuing South Africa from the ANC”. The DA’s links to Zionists led it to silence voices who spoke out against Israel, as it did with former MP Ghaleb Cachalia.
The DA needs to understand that it won 21% of the votes and that the ANC and smaller parties got the majority. If it continues its superior attitude, unreasonable demands, and leaks to the neo-liberal media, its strategy might backfire.
No one knows who will be in the Cabinet but it has been speculated that Ebrahim Rasool was being considered to head up International Relations and Cooperation. He was SA’s ambassador to the US and has vast experience and knowledge of foreign affairs and would be a good bet. Another news outlet speculated that Naledi Pandor would remain in that post. Given the shifting geo-political landscape, one trusts that the President would keep the International Relations Ministry in strong hands. The ANC and DA are far apart in their approach to foreign relations and diplomacy with the ANC supporting a multipolar geopolitical world and the DA locked into a Western-centric position. This came to a head when SA took the case of plausible genocide to the Hague.
There have been reports that the DA wants the Communications and Digital Technology portfolio. Sadly, this portfolio has badly suffered under lackluster Ministers and government interference over the years. Yet it could be a formidable department at the coal face of the technology revolution and a driver of jobs in the cultural and technology space. In the unlikely event that this portfolio is handed to the DA, it is important to note the DA would prefer the public broadcaster, SABC to be broken up and sold to the highest bidder. This shows how out of touch the DA is with broader South Africa and the pivotal role that the SABC plays.
In reconfiguring the administration of government, Ramaphosa could count on the Constitution.
“There shall be an efficient, non-partisan, career-oriented public service broadly representative of the South African community functioning on a basis of fairness and which shall serve all members of the public in an unbiased and impartial manner…”
SA does not need more policy wonks and consultants. It needs more capable hands in government to implement existing policies.
It would be fair to say that the ANC has suffered many setbacks - COVID and global events beyond its control. The volatility of internal party politics has also hamstrung it. If anything the ANC should have learned that its failures in service delivery, implementing austerity measures, and party in-fighting had led to populism that gave Jacob Zuma a new lease on life. Zuma’s Umkhonto we Sizwe Party single-handedly brought down the ANC’s majority. Despite years of trying to get rid of Zuma. he remains an ANC member. He is here to stay and will continue to cause turbulence.
Could there be a strategic way of dealing with the elephant in the room without the executive interfering in judicial and criminal cases? I am urging strategic minds to seek a solution to the Zuma problem so that SA can move ahead unhindered.
Lastly, the GNU has an opportunity to rid the government of the ostentatiousness that developed in recent years. It might be well advised to begin by ditching the vanity blue light brigades, taking spouses on all international trips, excessive travel expenses, and drinking paid-for bottled water. These might be small and easily achievable measures but they serve an important dual purpose - cutting out wastage of state funds and showing the bruised citizens of our country that this government cares more about delivering on its mandate.
Cogent analysis as always!