Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says GNU still on track, despite Expropriation Act fracas

Last week, Cape Town Democratic Alliance mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis told the Cape Town Press Club that the Government of National Unity (GNU) would survive for at least the next two years.

He predicted that the GNU, comprising 10 parties, the second largest of which is the DA, would “survive at least the next two years” until the  African National Congress – the largest party in the GNU – had its elective congress in 2027. 

“I think that there is enough goodwill and commitment inside the GNU at the moment to at least see it through until then,” Hill-Lewis said. 

“After that, I’m not prepared to make any firm prediction, all bets are off after that because so much depends on who is ascendant at that conference.” He said this was because of anti-GNU sentiment within parts of the ANC. 

Read more: Geordin Hill-Lewis – I won’t contest DA leadership against ‘dear friend’ John Steenhuisen

On Tuesday, his office confirmed to Daily Maverick that his comments still stood, despite widening rifts over the past weekend after GNU party leaders said they were not informed before President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Expropriation Act into law.  

This upset several GNU party leaders, including DA leader John Steenhuisen who declared a dispute in terms of the founding agreement of the 10-party power-sharing agreement. 

Read more: GNU tension erupts after Steenhuisen seeks urgent dialogue over Ramaphosa’s signing of Expropriation Bill

As Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee reported, Steenhuisen and Ramaphosa were to meet over the dispute on Tuesday evening.

Read more: DA leader Steenhuisen to meet Ramaphosa tonight to iron out GNU tensions

Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie, who serves as the country’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, told his party’s supporters on Saturday that President Ramaphosa had “stabbed us in the back” by not informing GNU leaders ahead of signing the Act into law. DM