GNU tensions and NHI doubling-down — five key takeaways from the post-Sona debates

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, politicians from all of South Africa’s represented parties gave speeches in Parliament in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) last week. Here’s what we learned.

1. Tensions are running rife in pockets of the GNU

The tensions within the Government of National Unity (GNU) were stunningly illustrated by the speech given by Public Enterprises Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala (ANC) on Tuesday. Zikalala was the former public enterprises minister; he was demoted to deputy by the formation of the GNU, and his post went to the DA’s Dean Macpherson, who is now his boss.

That was always going to be a difficult dynamic: Zikalala is older than Macpherson, a more experienced politician and more highly educated.

To say that things appear to be strained between the two, on the basis of Zikalala’s speech, is an understatement. The deputy minister seemingly used his address to take revenge for his demotion, accusing Macpherson — although never by name — and the DA more widely of repeatedly seeking to take credit for projects which were already under way under the former administration.

“They all speak as if everything is new; it is not in their nature to give credit where it’s due. It is not in their nature to acknowledge work done by others, simply because they are obsessed to claim easy victories out of desperation to woo South African voters,” ranted Zikalala.

In a clear dig at Macpherson and DA leader John Steenhuisen, neither of whom hold a tertiary qualification, Zikalala said: “Plagiarism and data protection are not taught at a basic education level yet.”

He further hit out at Macpherson for having stated that he would refuse to implement the Expropriation Act, saying that all ministers were required to take an oath of office committing to uphold all the laws of the land.

“When racism is combined with ignorance, they produce arrogance,” said Zikalala.

The DA’s sweeper in the debate, George Michalakis, subsequently told Zikalala from the podium: “Demotions to the rank of deputy are always painful, but it’s been six months: get over it, man. See it as a learning curve. If you watch closely what Minister Macpherson is doing, you might one day be a good minister of public works yourself.”

In Macpherson’s contribution to the debate, he did not directly respond to Zikalala, but he hinted darkly at saboteurs within Public Works, saying: “Some in this House want this department to fail … some members in this House seek out paid-for journalists and attempt to spread fake news through AI voice notes and falsified WhatsApps”.

Spare a thought for President Cyril Ramaphosa, having to manage these dynamics within his Cabinet.

2. There is confusion within the GNU over the status of NHI

There is clearly a communication problem within the GNU when it comes to the thorny issue of National Health Insurance (NHI).

It was previously reported that a deal had been brokered between the DA and the ANC to save private medical aid schemes; Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi was subsequently adamant that this was not the case.

During Tuesday’s debate, meanwhile, DA MP Mat Cuthbert said the party welcomed “the removal of the NHI targets from the Medium-Term Development Plan” — only for Motsoaledi once again to strenuously deny this during his address to Parliament on Wednesday.

Cuthbert, said Motsoaledi, “said that there won’t be NHI in the budget, it’s off the table. Sorry sir, it’s there, and it ought to be there.”

The health minister accused critics of NHI of spreading “distortions”.

Turning to IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa, who said at the Tuesday debate that the IFP favoured a “more incremental approach” to implementing the NHI, Motsoaledi said: “We agree with you 100%... There’s no way of implementing NHI except gradually.”

The minister quoted the Act as stipulating that the system would be “gradually phased in”.

Hlabisa had also said on Tuesday that the IFP should prioritise strengthening existing public health systems.

Motsoaledi said that there, too, they were in agreement: “Strengthening the healthcare system and implementing NHI are not mutually exclusive.”

The DA has threatened to withdraw support for the Budget over disagreements with the ANC on contentious pieces of legislation. The Budget is due to be tabled on 19 February.

3. Expect to see the EFF on the streets this year

EFF leader Julius Malema announced to Parliament this week: “As Economic Freedom Fighters we have adopted a theme of ‘the year of picket lines’. We are going back to the streets and reclaiming our identity.”

It’s probably a savvy political move: the EFF has been far less visible in recent years than previously, with a certain energy seeming to have drained from the organisation — exacerbated by the departures of Floyd Shivambu and Mbuyiseni Ndlozi and a lacklustre 2024 elections showing.

Malema seems determined to pull things together again this year and restore the party’s brand as populist provocateurs. Targets he hinted at for upcoming protests: the Treasury, the Reserve Bank (which the party wants to nationalise) and the Israeli embassy (which the party wants to close).

4. Panyaza Lesufi’s version of Johannesburg is wildly at odds with reality

Listening to Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi discuss his home city at the Wednesday debate left one wondering if he was referring to the same Johannesburg: a city which appears to be in terminal decay and whose residents report a rapidly diminishing quality of life.

Lesufi waxed lyrical about the city playing host to the “best planetarium in the Southern Hemisphere”; Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee agrees that its rebooted form is wonderful, but points out that it is a project of Wits and Anglo American.

Lesufi painted the picture of a futuristic cityscape, with the Gautrain expanding to Soweto and a “speed train” connecting Joburg and Limpopo in 67 minutes.

Compared with the reality of what is happening on the ground in Johannesburg, particularly with regard to basic services, it felt like active gaslighting.

5. MK remains a Jacob Zuma cult

We called it last year: the MK party’s sole project in Parliament appears to be one of historical revisionism, focused on lying about the presidency of its leader, Jacob Zuma.

As a result, in their first Sona debate as the official opposition, the MK party's deputy president, John Hlophe, subjected the House to almost 24 torturous minutes of reminiscing about Zuma’s presidency.

A taster: “The vision held by President Zuma far exceeded the narrow political obsession and persecution which the establishment subjected him to.”

MK members believe that if they stand up in Parliament and tell South Africans at every opportunity how much better things were in the Zuma years, Zuma will be able to stage a presidential comeback after altering constitutional term limits, or at least install a proxy as state president.

Unfortunately, in these troubled times of imminent journalistic extinction, mass misinformation and zero fact-checking on social media, it just could work. Look at the US. DM