Coalition talks echo historical Codesa negotiations

The Congress for a Democratic South Africa (Codesa) failed twice before 1993’s Multi-Party Negotiating Forum finally reached a deal to progress South Africa’s political transition.

Thirty years on, the country does not have the luxury of an extended wait.

Freshly elected public representatives have a little less than a fortnight to elect a new speaker and president.

In this election, voters did not give any party an outright mandate to govern and leaders face pulling together opposites to some kind of centre.

The goal is to save SA

The transition from apartheid rule to a new democracy was challenging for all involved, but the issues were vastly different. But in both instances, the goal was and is to save South Africa.

And it looks as though the ANC will deal with the Democratic Alliance (DA) to thrash out a form of a government of national unity.

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Both President Cyril Ramaphosa and DA leader John Steenhuisen made the point, after the announcement of the final results, that parties must work together in the interests of the country.

Former DA leader Tony Leon recalled that at Codesa, a deal was reached at the last minute. “The country was enduring immense violence, the ANC and the IFP, a ‘third force’ and the right.

“This forced a pulling back by everyone involved to stave off a violent apocalypse, to save South Africa, and a realisation that there had to be a lot more give and take,” he said.

But while it will not be a rerun of the 1990s, Leon quoted Mark Twain to make his point: “History might not repeat itself, but it often rhymes,” he said. “We have to get the process right.”

“Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk were astute negotiators and there was a deep bench of talent and commitment to the country behind them,” he said.

In contrast to Codesa, there are now myriad parties

In contrast to Codesa, Leon noted, where the two major players were the National Party and the ANC, there are now myriad parties and a larger collective of varied interests.

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“Ramaphosa said at Codesa that as long as the Nats and the ANC agreed, ‘stuff everyone else’; it can no longer be the case.”

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, who led the Transkei homeland delegation to Codesa, said that now the issues are corruption, lack of service delivery and a failing economy.

“There must be a realisation that previous ideologies and configurations just did not work,” he said, “and the installation of friends and family in key positions just backfires.

“If the DA’s Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis becomes minister of finance tomorrow, nobody will question that. But if someone’s cousin, uncle or friend is installed as yet another party puppet, we can head for disaster again,” he said.

No formal structures now but objective must be the same

Leon said that, unlike at Codesa, there are no formal structures now, but the objective must be the same. “A lot of decisions made about the future of SA were made in a very concentrated period of time because the country could not afford to fail,” he said.

At the time of the multiparty negotiations in 1993 there was common cause. “Everyone had to set their differences aside and narrow the focus to a single ideal, what was best for South Africa. A country-first approach now will deliver a better result.”

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Ramaphosa’s Sunday’s night’s address at the Electoral Commission of SA’s results operations centre expressed a similar sentiment.

Holomisa said: “We need a government of national unity that is inclusive, a government that will show citizens that party politics can be set aside and where everyone works towards a common goal – the betterment of SA.”

Oppotunity to start repairing damage

Since 1994, he said there has been a failure by politicians to sustain a united country. “There is an opportunity now to start repairing that damage.”

Nick Clelland, director of the Government Guild, agreed: “Are we now sufficiently patient, robust and thick-skinned to give coalitions a fighting chance. Because frankly, we need to be.”

Meanwhile, an X user called Goolam, purportedly close to the ANC’s inner circle, posted yesterday that the ANC and DA had an initial meeting and there was common ground. But he added that Gwede Mantashe is fighting tooth and nail to tie up the ANC with the MK party.