Here’s hoping for no divorce in GNU

There is an old gag which runs: Lightning courtships end in thunderous divorces.

Given that the elaborate courtship tango around our promised government of national unity (GNU) has gone on far longer than most people expected – perhaps we can hope that a long-lasting relationship will be forged.

The focus in the negotiations has been primarily on the ANC and the second-biggest party (at least by votes in the election), the DA.

And, from the outside, it has looked anything but romantic as accusations and counter-accusations are thrown around with abandon – the DA wants too many positions, that it’s trying to blackmail the ANC and other parties, that the ANC is digging in its heels with regard to key ministries because it wants to preserve its kleptocracy.

We would hope that in the discussions between the parties, it has gone beyond the mere “we want this” stage, to the point where there is at least a hint of what a specific party wants to achieve if it is given a particular portfolio.

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And, even then, there is no certainty that anyone can wave a magic wand and suddenly begin to undo the past two decades of destruction and maladministration.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, has made it clear that no party will be able to unilaterally change a policy direction.

However, one can hope that in the long arduous negotiations, all sides have an idea not only of what the others want, but also what they want to change, so eventual changes to departments, or even policies, might go quicker and smoother.

It is worrying, though, that, while the process to set up the GNU may be complex, it still seems to be dragging out.

If the day-to-day business of the incoming GNU continues along those fractious, time-wasting lines, we’re all in a lot of trouble.

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