Government of National Unity talk raises eyebrows of some citizens

The possibility of a Government of National Unity (GNU) has raised the eyebrows of many South Africans who are now wondering what the make-up of parliament will look like.

SABC News spoke to some residents of Mahikeng in the North West province, who believe that a coalition will be the best for the country.

“We’ve seen that ANC, for 30 years, has done nothing but to drag the country into chaos. But the coalition part, it will maybe rejuvenate the economy structures of South Africa,” says one resident.

“We need the economy to be good because at this point it’s terrible. If you look at the next five years, it’s going be worse. We are literally going be like Zimbabwe and other countries. So, we really need to get to a point where the coalition government works. These parties work together. All for the same good,” adds a resident.

Others, however, anticipate chaos.

They say every party will want to bring forth its own policies.

“I don’t think that Parliament is going to be stable because every party has an agenda. So, I think there’s going be conflict amongst the parties if they try to work together. I don’t think it’s wise for these parties to work together, because we have already seen them fighting in Parliament and often do not bring any solution for us as residents.”

The video below is reporting more on the story:

Meanwhile, there’s one week left before the deadline for the election of the country’s President.

According to the Constitution, the National Assembly should elect a president 14 days after the release of the election results.

Political parties are in a race against time to finalise negotiations on the modalities of the African National Congress (ANC)’s proposed Government of National Unity (GNU).

Meanwhile, the labour federation South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) says the ANC is in a difficult situation.

Saftu General-Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi says, “Once you say Government of National Unity, then it’s unavoidable that all parties will have to form part of that government. How? That’s a matter that you can negotiate in the detail. The Government of National Unity presupposes that there is a crisis that requires an involvement of everybody to foster unity and cohesion in the country as a whole. Once you speak about a Government of National Unity you cannot exclude anyone,” adds Vavi.

Below is the full interview: