Political parties are encouraged by the ANC’s decision to press the reset button on the GNU.
UDM leader Bantu Holomisa said a bilateral meeting with the ANC discussed the need for all GNU partners to have equal status.
“So far, so good” was one sentiment from a GNU party leader following engagements with the ANC’s negotiating team led by its secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
Party leaders who have participated in ongoing engagements with the ANC have been encouraged that finance minister Enoch Godongwana will likely find a resolution to the 0.5 percentage point VAT impasse, which has led to a standoff between the GNU’s biggest partners in government.
On Wednesday the ANC confirmed it had met with the PAC, BOSA, Al Jama'ah, Good Party and ActionSA. The meetings continued on Thursday with the IFP, the National Coloured Congress and the UDM. This came after its national working committee mandated its negotiating team to begin engagements with its partners and ActionSA about the budget and the reconstitution of the GNU.
The decision followed a standoff with the DA, which resulted in the ANC’s biggest partner in government challenging the budget through the courts.
While the ANC’s leaders have been debating whether ActionSA should be included in the GNU, the Herman Mashaba-led party is said to have called for a postponement on any talks of reconfiguration until the budget impasse is resolved.
Holomisa told TimesLIVE Premium that the meetings discussed reconstituting the GNU, adding there was a perception that the GNU was a coalition between the ANC and the DA.
“That perception must never come back again, meaning therefore whatever we want as the GNU must be tabled in front of everybody. These bilateral discussions, which tend to expect others to rubber stamp, must be a thing of the past. We have not minced our words on it,” Holomisa said.
This is said to have been the resounding sentiment of the GNU partners who met with the ANC. Two other leaders added that the ANC had made assurances that there would be action taken to ensure that the GNU is stabilised.
While they did not want to go into details, the leaders said there was a common understanding that all partners of the GNU must be treated equally.
“One thing that we agreed on is that we need to avoid such a situation going forward. I think the ANC understands that all GNU partners must be treated equally; there are no big brothers.
Part of the problem was the lack of consultation in on the budget, and if we can resolve that, make sure that all views of every party are considered, we can bridge this gap
— Bantu Holomisa, UDM leader
“Part of the problem was the lack of consultation on the budget, and if we can resolve that, make sure that all views of every party are considered, we can bridge this gap. The ANC and the DA are not the big brothers, everyone is important, I think we all came out of the meeting with that understanding,” the party leader said.
Mbalula told reporters on Thursday that discussions with parties thus far were going well, adding the ANC intends to conclude its discussions next week.
Mbalula said the ANC told political parties that it wants to realign the GNU with their partners.
“The GNU is not the ANC and the DA. The president, when he meets with the GNU, he addresses issues of the GNU of political parties, in terms of the conduct and what needs to be done.”
Mbalula said the reconfiguration of the GNU will not mean the collapse of the government. He said the ANC was committed to the GNU.
“The challenges that we have faced with the passing of the budget are matters that are under discussion. If it so happens that the impasse is not avoidable in the process of negotiations and talks, it means that it will result in other processes. At the moment, we are sailing very nicely, there is nothing to suggest that we may end up with mayhem. Political parties are co-operating, and we are engaging.”
TimesLIVE Premium reported on Tuesday that NEC member and deputy minister of trade, industry and competition Zuko Godlimpi presented a report to the NWC recommending that the GNU partners be locked in an agreement to avoid any future disagreement which could jeopardise government and the economy.
“What Zuko was saying is that we must ensure the GNU succeeds, given the behaviour of the DA and the potential of other GNU partners behaving the same in future. For example, what happens tomorrow if two or three parties in the GNU decide we don't agree with the government's position?
“We said we have learnt from this, but how do we formulate this thing in such a way that we lock everyone into agreeing to behave in a particular way so we limit those who want to go rogue,” the insider said.
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