Steenhuisen warns GNU will be 'dead in the water' at 2029 polls if it doesn't create jobs, grow economy
With ten coalition partners having survived the first year of working together in government, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said that the GNU would be 'dead in the water' in the 2029 national election if it doesn’t grow the economy and create jobs.
FILE: DA leader John Steenhuisen addresses a media briefing. Picture: @Our_DA/X
CAPE TOWN - With ten coalition partners having survived the first year of working together in government, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said that the Government of National Unity (GNU) would be "dead in the water" in the 2029 national election if it doesn’t grow the economy and create jobs.
Steenhuisen said that the recent budget debacle, which forced the finance minister to retract a decision to increase the standard rate of value-added tax (VAT), showed that the GNU was alive to people’s struggles.
On Saturday, the GNU marked its first anniversary of signing the statement of intent, which outlined the rules of engagement for coalition partners.
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Steenhuisen said that the fierce contestation over a VAT increase was worth it in the end, even if a faction of the African National Congress (ANC) wanted to see the party being booted out for refusing to vote in favour of the second fiscal framework in March.
"We were told it couldn't be done. It was done. They found the money without the VAT increase and I think South Africans are the winners in that and that they are. It's a victory for the cost of living, it's a victory for sovereigns and I think it's also an indication that the GNU is willing to listen."
With the budget battle behind it, Steenhuisen said that the GNU now needed to firmly focus on economic growth, driving reforms and creating jobs.
"If we have not been able to shift the needle on economic growth and jobs, South Africans are going to make electoral choices that could have very serious consequences for South Africa, and that is why we need a degree of urgency in terms of economic reforms growth because clearly, the tinkering around the edges, the shuffling here and there, is not moving the needle on the economy. We need drastic reform, we need drastic action from government."
Steenhuisen said that the electoral success of his own party in next year’s local government polls was also at stake, if its performance in the GNU failed to impress.