Get us out of this mess: 'South Africa should return to Government of National Unity'

Lester Kiewit speaks to Professor Chris Landsberg of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

Click below to listen to the interview.

Is it time for South Africa to return to a government of national unity (GNU)?

Yes, say the authors of a recent TimesLive article.

Ebrahim Fakir and Chris Landsberg believe that a GNU would 'help us out of our present quagmire’, and assert that after next week's elections, governance must be 'about joint responsibility and accountability, for the benefit of the country as a whole'.

South Africa is no stranger to this type of governance, having entered into a GNU between April 1994 and February 1997, under the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC).

At the time, it was seen as necessary to ensure inclusivity during the transition from apartheid to democracy. 

All parties who enjoyed over 10% of support from the electorate were included, and then-President Nelson Mandela's cabinet had members from several other political parties.

Landsberg says a GNU should govern South Africa, whatever the outcome next week.

"Even if the ANC or, unlikley, another party gets over the 50-plus-1 mark, we make the case for a government of national unity."

- Chris Landsberg, Faculty of Humanities - UJ

"... the challenges we face are of such a nature that we have to seriously consider the prospect of a GNU."

- Chris Landsberg, Faculty of Humanities - UJ

"... neither the ANC and certainly not the civil service sphere that we've left behind, or any other party, is capable of taking us out of our quagmire on its own."

- Chris Landsberg, Faculty of Humanities - UJ

"The majority of South Africans do not trust any one party on its own."

- Chris Landsberg, Faculty of Humanities - UJ

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