Opinion: Mrs Vee’s Cup of Words – Can Government of National Unity bring unity?

As the dust settles on the recent elections, the political landscape of our country has transformed in a most shocking way.

The absence of a clear majority has ushered in what many hoped would be an era of collaborative governance.

Yet, the events that unfolded revealed deep-seated issues that as a nation we have ignored.

The term “unity,” much like “rainbow nation” before it, seems to serve as a Band-Aid over festering wounds that we, as a country, have never truly addressed. We are such a wounded nation.

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People likened this election to 1994 and indeed they both carry hope and pain.

The 1994 elections were the first democratic elections and marked a historic compromise, where the country moved from the apartheid era to democracy. However, the compromises of 1994 came at a cost to people of having to forgive and forget, leaving many to carry the pain of apartheid but forced to accept and move on.

The past hovers over the country and does not allow us to move on. The deep scars of racial injustice and inequality left untreated and often unacknowledged, continue to influence our politics and society.

We saw people taking to social media sharing their views of how the ANC cannot work with the DA and yet they ended up in the same bed.

As we embark on this new journey of governance of unity, we must question whether we’re once again sweeping these issues under the rug, only to have them resurface later in a dangerous way.

For many, the sight of these parties working together seems like a betrayal to those who fought for freedom.

These reactions should not come as a surprise. We should reflect on our past and also the conversations that are had behind closed doors.

These views shared by the people show how we have consistently tiptoed around the issues of racism and historical injustices instead of addressing them head-on.

In 1994, compromises were made in the spirit of moving forward but left a legacy of unhealed wounds.

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Now the seventh administration is formed in unity and again compromises were made, but at what cost?

In reality, we need to understand government of unity will not serve the ideas the parties shared in their manifesto.

We are now entering new terrain. Who will be accountable for the decisions made under this banner of unity?

The new government needs a deep introspection and willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

The administration needs to face the truth that has been shared by the people. The government of unity must go beyond political arrangement.

It should become a vehicle for genuine healing and inclusive governance.

Leaders must understand true unity cannot be imposed from the top down; it must be built from the ground up, and that means engaging with communities, listening to their grievances, and addressing the systemic inequalities that persist.

It requires acknowledging the pain of the past and making a genuine effort to heal those wounds.

We can never be truly united if we still ignore the sins of the past, and we can never move forward if we still justify the sins of the past.