Thobile Jiwulane

South Africa’s previously strong and united left allies fear that the co-operation between the ANC party and the former opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) in the new coalition government could compromise the ANC’s pro-poor stance in favour of neoliberalism, a central policy basis of the DA.

The concern by the Left ensues as the partners in the new Government of National Unity were meeting this weekend at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria to trash out their differences and to explore policy common grounds charting the way forward for the GNU. The outcome of the crucial first meeting by the multiparty government is watched with keen interests national and internationally.

The ANC, DA and a group of small centrist, leftist and some right-leaning parties have established a wide coalition resulting in what is commonly known as the “government of national unity” (GNU). The ANC and the DA dominate the combination with the first and second largest number of seats in the country’s National Assembly respectively. During its years as a liberation movement fighting against apartheid, the ANC advocated for revolutionary socialist oriented policies but since it came to power in 1994 it shifted towards the right – with its policies tilted towards neoliberalism.

This irks its Leftist allies – the Congress of South Africa Trade Unions and South African Communist Party and a potpourri of leftist parties outside of the alliance such as the Federation of South African Trade Unions, Economic Freedom Fighters and Umkhonto Wesizwe party, a breakaway from the ANC formed recently by former President Jacob Zuma.

The DA, on the other hand, follows neoliberal and free market policies as a point of departure with full blown capitalism as its ultimate objective. The ANC and the DA were bound to clash as they pull in different directions in terms of ideology. Although the ANC was seen as partially neoliberal currently, it was still heavily influenced by the left who insist that Nelson Mandela’s party should stay its course as a representative of the poor and marginalised.

But it is no longer united in this position. There is tension within the Alliance as the left was wary of having the DA in the GNU because of its pro-business approach. Some Left members fear that the ANC was vulnerable to being influenced by the DA to move away from its pro-poor approach into neoliberalism.

But one thing for sure, the ANC long abandoned the poor when it ditched its socialist oriented Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) policy and adopted neoliberal Growth Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) economic blueprint in 1996 under icon Nelson Mandela. GEAR was influenced by and designed to favour an economy that is dominated by corporations while the RDP was made specifically to address the plight of the poor black majority who were previously marginalised from the mainstream economy by the white apartheid system based on racial discrimination.

The formation of the GNU was warmly welcomed in the Western capitals with both US President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State Anthony Blinken sending congratulatory messages to President Cyril Ramaphosa and his new International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola. The newly elected British Labour Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and Ramaphosa also congratulated each other on their respective elections into their respective offices.

The West sees the new alliance between the ANC and the DA as a first step towards the adoption of neoliberalism by South Africa, which alternately meant an abandonment of its left-influenced socialist route. But the resistance within the ANC remains strong with tension still high since the ANC and the DA agreed to co-operate.

The ANC and the DA, while both senior partners in the GNU, continue a power tug-of-war. To the ANC, the DA is just one of eleven partners in the GNU, but the DA regards the ANC is an equal with which it co-governs and believes it should not be dictated to by the ANC. The DA appeared intent on fulfilling it promise to the voters, but on an ANC platform. During the negotiations for the GNU formation, the DA forcefully demanded 12 key portfolios in the Ramaphosa cabinet including the crucial home affairs, trade industry and competition and foreign affairs, but the ANC refused completely. Subsequently the DA settled for six Ministries after almost three weeks of heated negotiation between the two sides.

Despite a strong appeal by Ramaphosa to the GNU parties to operate as a united force in the interest of the nation, the DA continues to do things its own way and calling its members in the GNU as “DA Ministers” and frequently highlighting their service delivery programmes on the party website as party work. The second largest party in the land sees itself as co-governing rather than a junior partner to the ANC, a move that prompted the ANC to accuse the DA of running a parallel government and undermining Ramaphosa.

DA party federal council chairperson, Helen Zille, insists that “the ANC did not win the May election” and therefore it had no right to monopolise power to itself, but it must share it on an equitable or at least proportional basis.

The DA sees its participation in the GNU as an opportunity to grow its political profile among the voters at national level. During its recent election campaign, the party told voters that they should cast their ballots for it so that it would emulate its “excellent service delivery record” in the Western Cape province, where it has been governing since 2009 to the rest of the country. It is practically doing that but within the GNU, which should reflect mainly ANC policies thrust as the largest party. The DA dominance despite being number 2, has caused internal wrangle within the ANC membership, who believe that Ramaphosa had given too much to the DA. Some of whom were adamant that the DA should not have been invited into the GNU in the first place.

This week a heated exchange of words among members of the high level ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) ensued on the party’s WhatsApp group chat leaked to local media and social platforms. The chat by the NEC, the highest decision-making body in-between party national conferences reflected the mood among the party top brass. The heated debate revealed deep-seated division between those against and those in favour of cooperation with the DA and its invitation to be part of the GNU. In the group chat, opponents of the DA clearly stated that ANC members were not consulted on the DA participation and did not accept the decision.

It is feared that the tension could lead to some members defecting to the opposition Umkhonto Wesizwe party, a breakaway from the ANC led by former President Jacob Zuma. Zuma launched MKP on 16 December 2023 while still an ANC member. He vowed to remain a member but would vote for the new party, a move that ruffled feathers within the ANC with threats of bringing Zuma before a disciplinary committee.

Now MKP is fully represented in Parliament with 58 seats and is the official opposition after the DA forfeited its official opposition status when it joined the Ramaphosa’s GNU.

It became clear from the chat that ANC members historically associated with the Zuma faction within the ANC prior to his defection, such as his former wife, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and a Zuma ally from the Eastern Cape province, Andile Lungile, were vehemently opposed to the DA participation in the GNU while those in favour included Defence Minister Angie Motshekga, who believe the decision was accepted by all.

The tension within the ANC symbolises the political realignment in the South African politics. According to political analyst, the process could see the ANC and the DA coming closer and closer to each other as they explore common ground into the future and ultimately amalgamating policies. Observers say there was likely to be a separation within the ANC party with some either joining the Zuma camp in the MKP or taking a backseat within the party.