Strains are evident, but a cabinet ‘clearing house’ will offer the unity government a way of dealing with disputes
Cabinet on Wednesday held its first meeting of the “clearing house” set up to deal with disputes between the ANC and its coalition partners over “red line” issues that threaten the government of national unity (GNU).
Those disagreements were not discussed at the inaugural meeting of the structure, sources said, but are likely to be aired at a follow-up meeting next week where the parties agreed substantive issues would be dealt with.
These will include their working relations in parliament, South Africa’s presidency of the G20 and tension around the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act.
The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) objection to language clauses in the Act made for its first severe clash with President Cyril Ramaphosa after he signed it last month and its threat to mount a constitutional challenge if it is not revised remains on the table.
The president extended an olive branch by delaying the implementation for 90 days to allow for further input on the offending clauses four and five of the Act.
And, despite the uproar that accompanied the signing, DA leader John Steenhuisen conceded that the issue did not pose an existential threat to the alliance.
In Wednesday evening’s meeting, which was held virtually and lasted two hours, parties stuck to that script by committing to “work for the benefit of the South African people”.
The presidency said the meeting, where parties agreed to the terms of reference for future discussions, as “a good start”.
With a structure in place, and a process underway to deal with inter-party disputes, it appears the greatest threat to the stability of the 10-party coalition government comes from the ANC’s internal leadership and ideological battles — and its alliance partners — rather than from its “strategic opponents” in the GNU.
Early manifestations of the battle for the ANC leadership at the party’s 2027 national conference played out in public this week in the spat between ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula and its Gauteng chairperson Panyaza Lesufi.
At the event, held at the party’s Johannesburg headquarters Luthuli House on Monday evening, ANC members held placards calling on the party not to “kill Chris Hani again”, a Lesufi-inspired rallying call against working with the DA in the unity government.
Some in the ANC believe tension is being fuelled internally by Mbalula’s concerns that Lesufi’s popularity makes him a potential threat should they go head-to-head for any position in the top seven at the 2027 national conference.
Mbalula has shot down any talk around the ANC succession until after the local government elections in 2026 but it is clear the tension will increase between now and 2027.
Some Gauteng ANC leaders believe they are unjustly being blamed for the tension between it and the DA in the province.
“For example, we agreed with the DA provincially to form a government of provincial unity but [DA federal council chairperson] Helen Zille made unreasonable demands and that deal collapsed.
“The national leadership instructed us to form a government without the DA,” one provincial leader said.
“Same thing that happened in Tshwane. We have never made decisions on our own but we followed national instructions.
“Today, it is made to seem like Panyaza and TK [Nciza] are the ones refusing to work with the DA in Gauteng and no one is saying anything. The issue is more in the DA than the ANC,” he said.
Both Lesufi and Mbalula rushed to admonish the protesters in an attempted show of unity.
Lesufi told ANC supporters they must not undermine the leadership of the party in the name of Gauteng, or attempt to define themselves outside of the national structure and programmes of the party.
“We are under the leadership of the ANC and our national officer bearers provide that particular leadership. We must respect that.
“We have one ANC, we have one national leadership, our victories remain ours together and our challenges remain ours together.”
After Lesufi spoke, Mbalula acknowledged his efforts to enforce the party line and said Ramaphosa had left him and deputy secretary general Nomvula Mokonyane in charge of Luthuli House.
But this was quickly rebutted by Ramaphosa, who told the supporters the ANC was in charge of the party headquarters, not Mbalula.
The ANC is also facing pushback from its alliance partners over its deal with the DA.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) boycotted the ceremony to celebrate the GNU’s first 100 days to avoid being seen as endorsing the unity government and the DA’s continued participation.
SACP secretary general Solly Mapaila also called off a scheduled bilateral meeting at Luthuli House aimed at hammering out issues over the GNU, the day after the party’s central committee declared its intention to look outside the alliance because of the ANC’s relations with the DA.
The SACP will reassess its relationship with the ANC at its special conference in December and consider looking for new partners with which to work going into the local government elections.
In the interim, the ANC will attempt to resolve the dispute through its alliance secretariat structure, which is meant to act, on a political and practical level, in the same way that the cabinet clearing house, chaired by Deputy President Paul Mashatile, should.
Mashatile said this week the clearing house would not only deal with disputes but also advise the leaders on dealing with government issues.
“When we are in that structure, we are not just dealing with small quarrels there and there.
“We are focusing on governance and we are all looking at making South Africa work so that our people can benefit. The issues about tension don’t exist,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Wednesday he was confident that no party was going to pull out of the unity government and having the clearing chamber in place to deal with points of contention added to his confidence.
“What is important is to take to heart, while everything possible is being done to ensure that we can sustain the GNU for the full five-year term, we are confident that all members of the GNU are now well settled in their respective roles in government.
“There is evidence to that effect and we are equally confident that, notwithstanding disagreements that are yet to emerge, no member of the GNU is going to leave the GNU.
“That we can say quite confidently — and even more so now that you have a mechanism that will be engaged on issues of dispute,” Magwenya said.
The smaller parties in the unity government appear to have fewer concerns than the DA.
Rise Mzansi’s spokesperson Gugu Ndima criticised the DA for contributing to the teething problems in the unity government during its first 100 days in office.
“The DA’s sudden demands and repeated threats to pull out of the coalition have caused unnecessary instability, which undermines the very foundation of the GNU.
“Instead of prioritising co-operation and transparency, they’ve resorted to political theatrics, airing their grievances through the media, rather than resolving them in the appropriate forums,” she said.
Ndima said although growing pains could be expected in any new political dispensation, the DA’s actions were making it harder to establish the stability and collaboration required to move the country forward.
The Good party’s secretary general, Brett Herron, said the conflict between the ANC and the DA in Tshwane showed that the glue in the GNU would also be tested by local government tension.
“I think that what we’ve seen is the DA claiming that differences between them and the ANC, and even with the GNU, other parties, has the potential to imperil the GNU. Those are the words they use often.”
“For example, where they had disagreements around the Bela Bill, their position on the NHI, what happened in Tshwane, these differences could imperil or endanger the GNU.”
Herron said despite the DA’s threats, which suggested that friction between it and the ANC could jeopardise the unity government, he does not believe they are likely to exit the coalition.
He said the party would emphasise the urgency of initiating national dialogue and developing an agreed-on policy agenda, which should incorporate “the basic minimum programme of priorities we all acknowledged needed attention in the statement of intent”.
Al Jama-ah leader Ganief Hendricks said while the first 100 days had been “challenging”, he had confidence that the GNU would complete its term.
He added that he hoped the ANC would allow Ramaphosa to complete his term of office after he ceases to be ANC president in December 2027.