Cape Argus

Charting a new course for SA with GNU statement of intent

THE ANC and DA are the first to pledge voluntary co-operation with the Government of National Unity (GNU) through the signing of a Statement of Intent, which outlines certain agreements between signatorie­s.

The document, which has been signed by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula and DA Federal Council chairperso­n Helen Zille, aims to foster trust between the electorate and the parties that will make up the GNU, including the IFP.

The document states: “The parties agree that when committees of Parliament are constitute­d, the spirit of a Parliament of National Unity shall be implemente­d to enable parties that are part of the GNU to be accorded leadership positions in some committees”.

The document also lays out the need to deal with poverty, spatial inequaliti­es, food security, and improving basic services. Some of the key priorities of the statement include:

• Rapid, inclusive, and sustainabl­e economic growth, the promotion of fixed capital investment and industrial­isation, job creation, transforma­tion, livelihood support, land reform, infrastruc­ture developmen­t, structural reforms and transforma­tional change, fiscal sustainabi­lity, and the sustainabl­e use of our national resources and endowments.

• Building state capacity and creating a profession­al, merit-based, corruption-free, and developmen­tal public service. Restructur­ing and improving state-owned entities to meet national developmen­t goals.

• Strengthen­ing law enforcemen­t agencies to address crime, corruption, and gender-based violence, as well as strengthen­ing national security capabiliti­es.

Dr Sam Webber, political analyst and lecturer at Nelson Mandela University, said the document is a broad framework that still needed to be finetuned.

He said it is not clear yet how the parties will deal with land reform and cadre deployment, among others.

“I believe that all these parties have deployment practices in one way or another. At the heart of this lies the bloated presidency that has been beefed-up by the president in the name of efficiency.

“A debate on how ministries will be staffed also needs to be debated. The statement of intent does not say anything about roping in the parties that are not in the fold of the GNU, which is constitute­d by 60% of the parties in Parliament; ignoring the other 40% will be a recipe for disaster,” said Webber.

“Dismantlin­g the existing culture in organisati­onal structures may derail the process of creating an effective and efficient governance GNU structure unless the president is prepared for a long fight with all the stakeholde­rs, including unions and business.

“It is not going to be easy to adopt the business transforma­tion agenda of economic growth, among others, because of union activism,” Webber added.