GNU may be imperfect, but it’s necessary

There is still an intriguing, unanswered question about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s axing of DA deputy minister of trade, industry and competition Andrew Whitfield from the government of national unity (GNU) for taking an unauthorised trip to the US earlier this year: why did it take so long to act?

Was it part of a cynical plan to push the DA out of the GNU by provoking it to issue – as it did – an ultimatum to the president?

That the ANC is clearly at loggerheads with the DA, and that people within its ranks want John Steenhuisen and his party out of Union Buildings Cabinet meetings, is apparent from the combative attitude of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

He warned that if the DA dared to propose a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa in parliament, then it would be “out of the GNU”.

Whether he or the ANC has the power to do that – in terms of the agreements which set up the GNU just over a year ago – is open to debate.

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But, clearly, as Mbalula said, there are “other parties” lining up to fill any vacuum left by a DA departure.

Those parties – ranging probably from the EFF to ActionSA to the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party – would probably get on better with the ANC than the DA did, because they are all closer on major policy issues.

However, the ANC needs to be careful what it wishes for, because including the EFF or MK in the GNU would, whichever way you slice it, be a victory for them over the ANC, because it would appear they had forced the former sole ruling party to stop “selling out” to the DA.

It is high time that somebody brought maturity back to the table.

The GNU, imperfect as it is, is our best option to repair our damaged society.

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