‘A coalition of weakness’: MK party attacks ‘GNU’ term in parliament

The reshaping of political ambitions has brought with it a semantic search for clarity.

National Assembly held a mini-plenary session to discuss the definition of government’s post-election composition on Friday.

Since the term was coined in the days after the 29 May elections, ‘government of national unity’ (GNU) has emboldened supporters and irked detractors.

“Government of National Hypocrisy”

MK Party’s Visvin Reddy proposed the draft resolution in a second attempt to have the term outlawed.

Jacob Zuma’s firebrand upstart recently challenged the SABC on the term in court, saying it was “deliberately misleading and opportunistic”.

“Either way, it was deeply inaccurate, logically flawed, and/or politically bankrupt,” stated MK during a case that ended with judgment being reserved.

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In opening the mini-plenary, Reddy explained that the term GNU was unique to South Africa, but a term used in times of crisis to stabilise a nation.

He then lashed out at the term and those who have formed it, saying the situation in 2024 was not like the government that Nelson Mandela birthed.

“This is not a GNU, this is a government of national hypocrisy. It is a coalition of weakness built on fear and fragile political deals,” Reddy said.  

Reddy’s fellow MK parliamentarian, Glen Taaibosch added his party’s assertion that the GNU is a rebranding of the failed Democratic Alliance moonshot pact.

He added that the GNU was a “trojan horse” created to bring about an alignment between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) and that the remainder of the GNU’s signatories were little more than “cheerleaders”.

National unity, provincial frailty

The agreement between the parliamentary partners at national level has recorded several short-term positives.

The Departments of Home Affairs, Electricity, Public Works and Sport have all made strides in the eyes of the public.

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However, at provincial level, cooperation has been somewhat disjointed.

Panyaza Lesufi’s Gauteng ANC bucked the national trend, excluding the DA from his provincial executive and is now circling Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink.

Winning back the Tshwane council will give the Gauteng ANC a trifecta of the biggest municipalities in the province, and plenty of bargaining chips down the line.