President Cyril Ramaphosa said the dramatic decline in support had its implications.
The ANC national executive committee (NEC) has “unanimously” backed the formation of what it terms a Government of National Unity (GNU) following chairperson of the DA federal council Helen Zille’s remarks that the partnership was a coalition between the two parties.
Echoing ex-ANC president Jacob Zuma’s assertion, Zille said last week that there was no GNU as the DA and ANC had entered into a coalition “from the beginning”.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa came up with this notion of a Government of National Unity, which he thought would be a better way of selling the concept of a coalition to his own party,” she said in a video clip that has gone viral on social media.
“A Government of National Unity brings all the parties together that would include the EFF and MK Party (uMkhonto weSizwe Party), which it did not,” Zille said.
Addressing the opening of the party’s lekgotla following the party’s NEC meeting at the weekend, Ramaphosa said the dramatic decline in support had its implications.
“One of the implications of this new situation is that the ANC can no longer govern alone.
“Faced with this stark reality, the NEC decided that the ANC should give leadership to take the country forward by inviting all parties that would subscribe and agree to a set of principles and a transformative minimum programme to form a government. The NEC meeting held over the past three days reaffirmed, unanimously, the position that the Government of National Unity is the best tactical option that has the greatest possibility to improve the lives of the people of South Africa,” he said
Forming the GNU came with its risks and opportunities, but despite this they “firmly believe” it was the best way to form a stable and effective government to advance the interests of South Africans.
“We have entered into the Government of National Unity with nine other parties, some of whom are fundamentally opposed to our perspective on transformation of our economy and society. A Government of National Unity is different from a typical coalition. Nor is it a forum of allied or like-minded parties,” he said.
Cape Times