GNU was necessary for SA to work, and must succeed: Thabo Mbeki

Former president says a national dialogue is next step to settle on a mandate

05 September 2024 - 06:00
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Former president Thabo Mbeki. File photo
Former president Thabo Mbeki. File photo
Image: Masi Losi

Former president Thabo Mbeki has thrown his weight behind the government of national unity, saying it was a necessary intervention to ensure that the country works.

Mbeki on Wednesday said he wished the ANC-led GNU success and that the planned national dialogue would be critical in giving President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government a mandate so that all those in the executive would stop referring to their own manifestos.

Speaking at his regular engagements in Unisa through the Thabo Mbeki School, Mbeki explained that the ANC had found itself in this situation after the May national and provincial elections.

“The ANC leadership engaged all of this, shared the view that since we've got 40% of the votes, therefore haven't gotten a majority to govern, let's approach all of the parties, let all of us come together and form a government of national unity and govern,” he explained. “And in the end, you have these 10 parties that constitute [GNU]. Because we want the country to succeed, the economy to grow, crime to disappear, all of these things. And so we wish the government of national unity to succeed.”

He said he hoped all the parties in the GNU shared the same view about what the arrangement ought to achieve — “which is solving the problems gripping the country”.

Though it is unclear when the national dialogue will be held, Mbeki is one of its biggest proponents, having been one of the first people to suggest it after the election. He said that there was a standing agreement that it must happen as it would involve all South Africans.

“And as President Ramaphosa says, at the end of that process, when the people of South Africa have spoken ... that then becomes the basis of the government of the country,” he said.

“It's a very important intervention. And hopefully that national dialogue process will then give the GNU the kind of mandate it needs, the mandate from the people as a whole to say this is what needs to be done. So that they don't keep referring to their own manifestos, but must refer to what the people of South Africa have said. So that national dialogue is very important.”

Mbeki’s support for the GNU comes amid strong criticism from one of the ANC tripartite alliance partners, the SACP, which has essentially labelled the ANC a sellout for including the DA in the GNU.

SACP general secretary Solly Mapaila has attacked the ANC, saying the GNU showed the ANC is led by neoliberals. This faction, he has said, was led by Ramaphosa.

Mapaila's statements raised the ire of ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula at the weekend. Mbalula reacted angrily to an interview Mapaila gave in which he labelled the decision to enter into a GNU with the DA as a “betrayal” and a “sell out of the aspirations of our people”.

Mbalula fired off a series of posts on social media.

“These outbursts are shocking. Nothing wrong if Solly doesn't agree with the GNU, but calling names is really crossing the line and casting aspersions on ANC leaders. I find it disrespectful coming from an ally.”

Mbalula said he would raise this during the next alliance political council.

ANC Youth League president Collen Malatji on Tuesday tore into the SACP and Mapaila, calling them out for their hypocrisy for heavily criticising the ANC for forming the GNU while still keeping its members as ministers and deputy ministers.

Malatji urged Mapaila to show bravery by recalling the SACP leaders and members who accepted appointment into Ramaphosa’s executive. He contended that as Mapaila believes the GNU represents a sellout, the SACP members should be recalled.

“Anyone who has a problem with the structure of the GNU must immediately withdraw their deployees and prepare to win the next elections on their own so that they can implement things the way they feel they should be implemented,” said Malatji.

Having deployees in the executive while calling the GNU a sell-out was a populist stance, he said.

“The Solly Mapaila we know, a product of the youth league and Cosas and many other structures of the movement, is brave. We know he will either agree with the ANC, honour the GNU, or immediately withdraw those from the SACP in the GNU so that we’re seeing action, contest elections on his own and stop being under the state of the ANC. Now that’s the bravery we want from the SACP. Anything else is cowardice.”

TimesLIVE


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