Editorial: The GNU survives a year
There has been nothing remarkable about the government of national unity's first year in office, but the steadying of the ship has been invaluable. Photo: GCIS
It was with great curiosity that we read ActionSA's GNU One Year Assessment this week. The project, a not-so-subtle rip-off of the Mail & Guardian's cabinet report cards, rated the government of national unity's key performance metrics on a scale of A to F. (As you might expect, most leaned towards the latter).
These are not objective scores, of course — as you well know. Still, the marketing effort gets a passing mark for its creativity and contribution to democratic discourse.
The GNU's actual performance over the past year is not neatly measurable.
The uninspired leadership is easy to scrutinise. With the exception of some flickers of business optimism, the government of the last year has largely carried on the legacy of President Cyril Ramaphosa's first term. That is to say, a dispensation that strangled hopes of Ramaphoria early on. There is little immediate effect on people's lives — South Africa remains deeply divided and faces economic uncertainty.
There is an argument, however, that the steadying of the ship has been invaluable.
Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen is always quick to point out that his party slipped under the sheets of leadership with the ANC to prevent a doomsday scenario. Although we have been critical of such party-first rhetoric, the rivals he has warned about have done well to prove his point.
It has not been a good year for the Economic Freedom Fighters. A poor electoral performance has led to discord and a subsequent hollowing-out of key members (some might say that a purge of rivals is a more appropriate framing). Their once-upon-a-time role as disruptors of a stale political system is now buried.
One of those leaders, Floyd Shivambu, has occupied the headlines this week as his falling-out with the uMkhonto weSizwe party continues to play out publicly. The episode is consistent with a turbulent organisation that has failed to distinguish itself from a cult of personality.
By contrast, the GNU has miraculously remained intact. The budget debacle has threatened, differing ideologies have simmered, but clear heads have always prevailed.
That was desperately needed at the infamous White House meeting last month — a notable success in retrospect. The uncomfortable obsequiousness of our leaders notwithstanding, the co-ordinated message on key issues such as crime allowed South Africa to ride out its fevered moment under the international spotlight.
As uncertainty grips the world, it is imperative that we continue to walk with a unified purpose.
But stability will only take us so far. The GNU must now begin to think more creatively on how it will solve the country's social ills. Failure to do so will earn it an F on anybody's report card next year.
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