A spirit of hope for a brand GNU dawn for a new-look government of unity

SWORN-IN President Cyril Ramaphosa may have pulled off a master stroke when he reconfigured a truly multiracial Cabinet of newly-appointed ministers – including a dozen opposition MPs from the Democratic Alliance (DA) – a decades-long thorn in the flesh of the ruling elite of the African National Congress (ANC).

The refreshing unveiling of the Government of National Unity (GNU), has however, been received with mixed feelings, with hardcore critics and commentators simply saying: too many cooks spoil the broth.

Commentator Ann Bernstein says the GNU is packed with divergent views and predicts that the GNU growth and development will be white-anted especially on service delivery roll outs, economic growth and unemployment pegged at 30%.

Others had this to say: Ramaphosa overhauled his economic ministers on as the economy hardly grew during his first five-year term. The newcomers need to rebuild and accelerate an innovative platform for economic growth and general expansion of structural reforms. South Africa’s hour for strident leadership and hard-working ministers and MPs has dawned at last.

South Africa’s seventh administration since its first historic government of national unity in 1994 is now embarking on a new road of a grand coalition government featuring seven political parties, 65 new executives making up an 18% increase, up to 30 ministries and the demise of the controversial State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and boards, with a colourfully multi-racial Cabinet under re-elected President Ramaphosa.

As a tribute to the legacy of South Africa’s founding president, President Ramaphosa hosted the State of the nation Address on Mandela Day on July 18 – a democratic dream of millions of anti-apartheid activists and organisations that waged an epic battle for a non-racial and nonsexist new nation. A tough negotiator, Ramaphosa secured 20 of the 32 Cabinet minister roles in the new coalition for the ANC.

While the coterie of new cabinet ministers and deputy ministers were popping champagne corks, hundreds of government employees on contracts were washing their faces with tears – the defunct of retired Minister Pravin Gordhan’s Department of Public Enterprises and other departments that were running under the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) – particularly the corruption-plagued Eskom, Telkom, Post Office and the loss-making national air carrier South African Airways: “There are seven of us on contract as the support staff to the previous minister and the mood is very tense and scary since the announcement of the new cabinet, ministers and deputy ministers,” said a senior official.

The first salvo was fired by the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) to the DA controlling Basic Education – real trouble looming on the horizon.

Note the rise in political prominence of the Zulu-based Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), particularly in its stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Velinkosi Hlabisa is a full minister in the cabinet. Former mayor Thami Ntuli is the head of the KZN Legislature and veteran Narend Singh has moved into an executive position after 40 years in politics. These changes are bound to affect the culture of politicking.

Nationally, in one of the longest post-election political announcements – 11 long days and nights and intense horse-trading and intra-party negotiations, Ramaphosa’s finally unveiled his new cabinet while a nation of 61-million people held its breath. This could augur well for the blessings of big business and economic development.

The newly-appointed Minister of Agriculture, DA leader John Steenhuisen, welcomed the former opposition party’s exciting new role in the governing of a country that has been mired in one-party politics and monopoly and three decades of ANC dominance: “It paves the way for the new government to start working on service delivery,” he said.

The DA grabbed 12 posts, six ministerial in the cabinet and six deputy minister posts – far short of its 20-post demand.

The president told the nation: “All the parties have made a commitment to respect the Constitution and to promote accountable and transparent governance, evidence-based policy and decision-making, the professionalization of the public service, integrity and good governance.”

Further cabinet newcomers are the Patriotic Alliance (PA); Freedom Front Plus (FF +); Pan Africanist Congress (PAC); GOOD and Al-Jamah.

Amidst opposition, ANC strongman Paul Mashatile finally made the cut as the deputy president, a departure from President Mandela’s GNU with two vice-presidents, though Steenhuisen was tipped as the front-runner in the Presidency.

The merged ministers are: Ministries of Electricity and Energy; Mineral and Petroleum Resources; Agriculture split from Land Reform and Rural Development; new Higher Education from Science, Technology and Innovation; Ministry Justice and Constitutional Development separated from Correctional Services; and Ministry of Public Enterprises and SOEs are dissolved.

Sikelel‘iAfrika (God Bless Africa).