Enough of the posturing, DA

The Bible paints a picture of God creating the universe in six days, resting on the seventh. If only we had divine power to intervene to create our government of national unity (GNU), then we could all rest easy…

But that doesn’t look as though it is happening – at least not with any haste – as the ANC and DA wrangle over Cabinet appointments.

The ANC is adamantly against the DA claiming the position of deputy president, which is said to be a prime DA demand, along with the insistence that it gets 10 cabinet posts.

ALSO READ: DA ‘wants Steenhuisen as deputy president’ in GNU

ANC insiders told us, effectively, that hell would freeze over before that happens. And why all the fuss, anyway, from the biggest opposition party? The position of deputy head of state has been irrelevant and the most recent holders of the post, D D Mabuza and Paul Mashatile, have hardly distinguished themselves.

Would DA leader John Steenhuisen bring any more gravitas to the office? Perhaps, then, staking a claim to the deputy president position was little more than a bargaining ploy by the DA. That is not far-fetched, given that the DA negotiators include veteran political strategists Helen Zille and Tony Leon.

To make the GNU look like a serious proposition – not only in the eyes of voters but also of the outside world – the DA must be given appointments to important ministries. Then, they will have to put up or shut up… and may well help turn around some of the more basket-case areas of our government.

ALSO READ: Could ANC and other GNU parties ‘gang up’ on the DA? Tony Leon clears the air

Yet, the DA still needs to tone down its arrogance and not believe, as it is projecting to many, that it was the real winner in the election.

If the ANC gets annoyed enough, the GNU may completely collapse, leaving a vacuum into which the radical political parties could come rushing.