Mashatile's GNU clearing-house meeting aims to resolve policy disputes

Deputy President Paul Mashatile on Wednesday night convened the first clearing-house meeting to iron out policy disagreements within the 10-party Government of National Unity (GNU).

The multiparty, issue-specific negotiating committee will deal with disputes around thorny issues such as the contested clauses of the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Act and the implementation of the contentious National Health Insurance (NHI) Act.

The effectiveness of this committee in resolving disputes could make or break the coalition government.

Read more: Ramaphosa – ‘Judge the GNU on its work, not the parties involved’

Mashatile is the chair of the dispute resolution committee. In a statement on Wednesday, Mashatile’s spokesperson, Keith Khoza said that, at the virtual meeting that evening, the parties would discuss and agree on the terms of reference for the clearing-house mechanism.

“The clearing-house mechanism will not override Cabinet decisions, as Cabinet remains the final decision-making body in government, but will ensure that all GNU signatories develop a common understanding of critical policy matters,” he said.

“In addition to the clearing-house mechanism, it was resolved that a technical committee be further established, which will serve as a processing channel for matters of divergence within the GNU. In this regard, this mechanism will establish the Political Leaders’ Forum of parties who signed the Statement of Intent.”

The terms of reference were drafted in Wednesday’s meeting and will be finalised in the second meeting on Thursday, 24 October. 

According to a statement released on Thursday morning, the next meeting will receive reports on preparations for South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025, preparations for the National Dialogue, and policy challenges specifically relating to the Bela Act and its contested clauses.  

“The meeting will also deal with challenges at provincial and local government levels and it was appreciated that contradictions are inevitable in coalition governments and that learning from countries who have such coalitions is the best mechanism to employ towards achieving the goals set out in the Statement of Intent”, read the statement. 

Read more: Then there were 10 – unity government hits double digits while talks continue over Cabinet posts

The GNU parties are the ANC, DA, Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), Patriotic Alliance (PA), Good, Rise Mzansi, United Democratic Movement (UDM), Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), and Al Jama-ah.

The Statement of Intent — the charter by which the parties to the GNU operate — provides for consultation and the need for consensus on key decisions. It also states that parties in the GNU must form dispute resolution or deadlock-breaking mechanisms, “in instances where sufficient consensus is not reached”.

Last month, President Cyril Ramaphosa met with the leaders of parties in the GNU to discuss the formation of a dispute resolution mechanism. The clearing-house mechanism was established to deal with policy disagreements and other disputes.

According to the statement released on Thursday, the representatives of the GNU who attended the meeting were: 

• Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Minister Maropene Ramakgopa and ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli from the ANC;


• Minister of Public Works Dean McPherson for the DA;


• Rise Mzansi parliamentary caucus whip, Makashule Gana;

• Good secretary-general, Brett Heron; 


• IFP national spokesperson and Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa; 


• PAC secretary-general, Apa Pooe;


• FF Plus’ parliamentary leader, Corné Mulder; 


• The PA’s deputy president Kenny Kunene; and


• Former Joburg mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda for Al Jama-ah.

The Deputy Minister of Defence Bantu Holomisa from UDM sent his apologies, according to the statement.

Read more: Joburg mayor who wanted to leave now wants to stay until Christmas

Tension headaches

Speaking about the clearing-house committee meeting at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “Everything possible is being done to ensure that we can sustain the GNU for the full five-year term.

“We are confident that all members of the GNU are now well-settled in their respective roles in government… And we are equally confident that — notwithstanding disagreements that are yet to emerge — no member of the GNU is going to leave the GNU. That we can say quite confidently, and even more so now, that we have a mechanism that will be engaged on issues of dispute.”

However, two policy misalignments could make the GNU teeter: the Bela Act and the NHI Act.

Ramaphosa signed the Bela Act into law last month, but announced he would suspend the implementation of Clauses 4 and 5 for a three-month consultation period. The DA and the FF Plus have strongly opposed these clauses, which deal with schools’ language and admissions policies.

“Everything possible is being done to ensure that we can sustain the GNU for the full five-year term.”

Read more: Bela Bill controversy — the ANC/DA GNU dance is still being designed, but Ramaphosa leads

Last Friday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the party would not agree “under any circumstances” to the implementation of Clauses 4 and 5 of the Bela Act. Steenhuisen said the clauses would “open the door to depriving children of mother-tongue education in single medium schools”.

Steenhuisen has also said that the party would also not agree to the implementation of the NHI scheme. DM

This article was updated on Thursday morning, 17 October to reflect details of a statement released after the meeting.