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

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that the 10 parties which constitute the Government of National Unity (GNU) might differ when it comes to their key principles and intentions, however, the true test would be whether they could turn the lives of ordinary South Africans around. 

“The GNU should not be judged by the political orientation of the parties that constitute this administration, but it should be judged by the impact that it will make … on the lives of the poor,” he said. 

Speaking in the Johannesburg CBD at the party’s event on the GNU’s first 100 days, Ramaphosa assured attendees that all parties who were signatories of the GNU’s statement of intent had a common goal to build a better country.

“We thank all political parties who agreed to be part of this journey, who came together acting in the interest of our country. We went into the GNU knowing fully well that we have ideological and political differences with some of the parties. 

“[This is] exactly what we had in 1994. We went into a GNU with a party which represented apartheid and our oppressors and we agreed that to take SA forward, we would work together with them. We also know that the ANC has a strategic clarity and political capacity to work alongside those in pursuit of progressive goals,” he said.

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Ramaphosa then said this would be the perfect opportunity for the party to seek “love back” from its supporters.

“The surveys that are being published show that the majority of South Africans are warming up to the GNU. The surveys show the people are once again showing love and appreciation to the ANC. We must go out to the people and say we want love back,” he said.

According to a poll from the Social Research Foundation released in October, more than 60% of the population believed the GNU was working well. It also found support for the ANC and DA had increased by 10 percentage points following the formation of the coalition government. 

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This year’s elections were a major setback for the ANC, but Ramaphosa said the party still received the most votes, which indicated that South Africans still looked to the party to provide leadership.

In the 2024 elections, the ANC dropped below 50% of the national vote for the first time since the advent of democracy.

The ANC lost its majorities and negotiated for provincial governments of unity in the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal while it leads a minority government in Gauteng. The party maintained its majorities in the Free State, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West.

“The ANC was the first to say, ‘We accept the results of the elections and the decisions of our people.’ That in itself showed leadership and maturity on our part and people have said in other countries that when the governing party loses its majority, sometimes they refuse to accept the will of the people,” said Ramaphosa.

“Here in SA, which is led by the ANC, we made it clear that we accept the will of the people because we respect our people,” he said.

The GNU consists of the ANC, DA, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, PAC, Patriotic Alliance, Good, UDM, Rise Mzansi and Al Jama-ah.

The ANC has faced criticism from its alliance partners, the SACP and Cosatu, over the inclusion in the GNU of the DA and Freedom Front Plus, instead suggesting the EFF and MK party were more natural allies.

Read more: MK and EFF dismiss GNU government, claiming it’s hobbled by ANC-DA disputes

Ramaphosa also set out key priorities for the GNU on Monday, including job creation, inclusive economic growth, tackling the high cost of living, service delivery, crime and corruption. DM