WATCH: ‘This is not Government of National Unity, it’s a coalition’ – Mboweni

Former Finance Minister Tito Mboweni believes the incoming new government of national unity (GNU) is nothing more than a simple coalition government.

The African National Congress (ANC) announced the establishment of the GNU for the 7th administration after failing to get a majority in the May 29th national and provincial elections for the first time in 30 years.

Ten political parties have signed the statement of intent to join the GNU.

Watch Tito Mboweni speaking about the GNU

Not GNU

Mboweni rejected the characterization of the coalition of the parties as a GNU, questioning why so many parties are joining the marriage.

“First of the environment is totally different. In 1994, we were coming out of the negotiations involving all the parties. During those negotiations, it was agreed that an instant constitution should be agreed upon. Therefore that constitution brought about a government of national unity.

“That government was a transitional government because it was the transit from the apartheid government to the new one that would be elected,” Mboweni said.

Mboweni stressed the ANC’s formation is a coalition and not a GNU.

“The context is different now. What we have now, is not a transitional government. It’s an attempt at trying to form a government. Because the elections were not decisive, no party was big enough to form a government on its own. Therefore this actually is not a government of national unity at all.

“This is a coalition of the parties which have not been able to get more than 50% of the vote, and I would like to insist on this. Conceptually, this is not a government of national unity that we are talking about. We are talking about a coalition of parties to form a government and I think that’s very important.” Mboweni.

ALSO READ: WATCH: ‘There is no GNU, it’s a government of selective unity’ − Sooliman

Dangers

Mboweni also emphasised the “dangers” of the so-called GNU.

“The danger that we have here is the following… When you have so many parties coming together to form a government, the question is then what happens to the distinction between the executive and the legislature?

“Will these parties in Parliament behave differently to the way they would behave because  they are part of the government?” Mboweni questioned.

ANC mistake

Last week, Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said he believed the incoming new GNU “made a mistake”, saying it was a “government of selective unity”.

Sooliman said the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and former President Jacob Zuma’s Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK) party should also have been part of the GNU.

“I think the government has made a mistake, I don’t think it’s a government of national unity, it’s a government of selective unity. And I don’t think, I know, I am saying they should bring in the EFF, the MK, because essentially, it’s one party.”

Sooliman said the ANC was making one of the “biggest mistakes” by not including the other parties in the GNU.

“I don’t think the ANC is thinking clearly and thinking for themselves. I think outside influences are thinking for them… Foreign powers, foreign governments, corporations. I think the ANC should go back and look at the friends they have had.

“They’ve been in the trenches, they’ve done lots of things together. How can you say it’s a government of national unity and exclude people who were in the trenches with you, it doesn’t make sense,” said Sooliman.

GNU

The current parties of the GNU include:

• ANC
• Democratic Alliance (DA)
• Patriotic Alliance
• Inkatha Freedom Party
• GOOD
• Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC)
• Freedom Front Plus (FF+)
• United Democratic Movement (UDM)
• Rise Mzansi
• Al Jama-ah

ALSO READ: Lesufi yet to appoint executive after abrupt halt of announcement