GNU on shaky ground: 'The ANC needs to be kept in check'
Just 24 hours after Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration, headlines are already highlighting rifts in the agreement between the ANC and the DA.
President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Kampala, Uganda on 19 January 2024. Picture: @GovernmentZA/X
John Maytham interviews Pieter Du Toit, News24’s Assistant Editor.
Listen below.
Concerns are growing over potential discord within the newly formed coalition government.
After the ANC's near-collapse to below 40% in the recent elections, the party faced the unprecedented challenge of forming a coalition with the DA, a long-time political adversary.
Just 24 hours after Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration as President of South Africa's second government of national unity, local news headlines were already highlighting rifts in the agreement between the ANC and the DA.
The two parties have expressed conflicting views regarding the inclusion of the Patriotic Alliance (PA) in the unity government.
According to the initial signed statement of intent by both parties, there must be agreed-upon discussions regarding the composition of the government of national unity.
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Du Toit asserts that South Africans deserve transparency regarding the nature of the negotiation agreements.
Therefore, he says that he supports DA Federal Council Chair Helen Zille's comments that the party had not been informed about the inclusion of the PA, thus confirming and reaffirming her and her party's stance.
"It is absolutely correct, given our recent political history that the ANC needs to be kept in check and kept to their word."
- Pieter Du Toit, Assistant Editor – News24
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