The ANC is planning to use a national dialogue as the springboard to lock its government of national unity (GNU) partners into a five-year agreement to ensure a stable government.
Sunday Times reported this week the DA was open to the idea, seeing this as an opportunity to give the country political stability for the GNU to last until the next elections.
During his closing remarks at last week's ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting, President Cyril Ramaphosa said a national dialogue will enhance the pressing task of rebuilding social cohesion in a fractured society after a particularly toxic and divisive election campaign.
The ANC engaged several political parties including the DA on Saturday during a meeting that lasted for most of the day.
The ANC wants a GNU with the “characteristics” of a supply and confidence agreement during talks with possible partners.
The ANC said a thriving economy should reflect the natural resources of the country and the creativity a skilled population can offer.
TimesLIVE understands the ANC has proposed various ways in which political parties could opt to play roles in the executive. The parties could also choose to exercise parliamentary oversight of the executive to advance good governance and constitutional principles.
The ANC has emphasised the agreements between parties should be in writing and processes would need to be defined regarding multiparty input into budgetary processes and for ensuring effective passing of money bills and other legislation. Where disputes arise, agreed mechanisms for dispute resolution would need to be defined, TimesLIVE Premium understands.
A DA insider said during talks with the ANC on Saturday, it was proposed Ramaphosa appoint a finance minister who is not a leader of the ANC.
The party offered that the finance minister be recruited from respected financial institutions, the insider said.
One ANC insider said while this proposal would be welcomed by its GNU partners, the ANC negotiators would have difficulty getting buy-in from its NEC. “There is no reason why we should replace Enoch Godongwana. He has been accepted by the markets and business. We can't be dictated to by the DA,” the insider said.
The DA is said to have presented its own framework to the ANC on Saturday which placed the protection of the constitution at the centre of its proposal.
TimesLIVE previously reported the DA’s framework proposed certain powers be devolved from national to provincial governments including police.
The party also wants the proposed coalition government to set up a mechanism to allow “multiparty access” to and “input into” the budgeting process, which has thus far been the sole domain of the ANC-led national government and the National Treasury.
The DA is demanding no tampering with the bill of rights and the independence of the Reserve Bank.
“The protection and promotion of the constitution is foundational to the future success of South Africa. We draw particular attention to the founding provisions and the bill of rights in their entirety,” the DA said.
In its framework, the ANC said a national democratic society should be founded by a thriving and mixed economy, efficient market, redistributive mechanism, integrated anti-poverty programmes and should be made up of various classes and strata.
It said a democratic society should use the redistributive mechanism of the fiscus to provide a safety net for the poor.
“As such, built into its social policy should be a comprehensive social security system which includes various elements of the social wage such as social grants, free basic services, free education, free healthcare, subsidised public transport and basic accommodation.”
The ANC also proposes the GNU implement integrated anti-poverty programmes, ensuring these programmes address not only social assistance but also the sustainable integration of communities into economic activity.
“This is critical in dealing with poverty but also in addressing the condition of most women.”
It said the national democratic revolution seeks to eradicate the relations of production that underpinned national and gender oppression and super-exploitation of most South Africans.
“It does not eradicate capitalist relations of production. It should therefore be expected that in a national democratic society, class contradictions and class struggle, particularly between the working class and the bourgeoisie, will play themselves out.
“As such, a national democratic state will be called upon to regulate the environment in which such contradictions manifest themselves in the interest of national development including fundamental socioeconomic transformation.”
The ANC said a thriving economy should reflect the natural resources of the country and the creativity a skilled population can offer.
“It should be an economy in which cutting edge technology, labour-absorbing industrial development, a thriving small business and co-operative sector, use of information and communication technologies and efficient forms of production and management combine to ensure national prosperity.
“This is conditional on ensuring the brain and brawn of society are brought to bear on economic activity. It requires de-racialisation of ownership and control of wealth, management and the professions.”
The ANC also wants the state to be able to use its capacities to direct national development through fiscal redistribution, use of state-owned enterprises and effective regulation.
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