South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) is increasingly talking of a government of national unity (GNU) after it lost its parliamentary majority in the 29 May election.
This is is borne out by the headline in the local Sunday Times newspaper, which reads: “Beaten ANC pushes for GNU.”
The ANC’s vote slumped to 40%, with the party losing its outright majority for the first time since 1994, when Nelson Mandela led it to a resounding victory at the end of the racist system of apartheid.
The idea of a GNU is not new.
South Africa had it after the end of apartheid in order to promote reconciliation after years of conflict.
The GNU was made up of the three big parties at the time – Mr Mandela’s ANC, FW de Klerk’s National Party (NP) and Mangosuthu Buthelezi’s Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
But about three years later, De Klerk – South Africa’s last white president, who held the post of deputy president in the GNU – walked out of it.
This followed sharp differences with Mandela – the nation’s first black president – over the future shape of South Africa’s fledgling democracy.
De Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela for negotiating the end of apartheid so his decision came as a shock at the time.
I’ve heard many people in South Africa say that a fresh attempt should be made to establish a GNU.
They say this is necessary as the ANC can no longer govern on its own, unlike when De Klerk walked out of the Mandela-led government.
South Africa’s political parties therefore need to adopt less of an adversarial or confrontational style, and adopt of a consensual style, similar to Germany where “grand coalitions” – made up of the two biggest parties – tend to survive from election to election.
Many people say this is vital to achieving stability, and tackling South Africa’s myriad problems – including crushingly high levels of unemployment, a cost-of-living crisis, and electricity and water cuts.
They feel South Africa should avoid a situation similar to Israel, where coalition governments often collapse or are held to ransom by smaller parties.
This is something that has been happening in South Africa’s big cities, where coalitions have been existing since the ANC lost its majority in local elections held a few years ago.
These often collapse as rival parties jockey for power, and make backroom deals – referred to as transactional politics here – to get lucrative posts, and contracts for their business cronies.
At a press conference, senior ANC official Fikile Mbalula said the ANC would hold talks with all parties to see where common-ground can be found, and stable government achieved.
“Let’s work together,” he said.