Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

17 June 2025

2-minute read

A year since the formation of the Government of National Unity combining ten political parties, political analyst Dirk Kotze states that the GNU has “performed better than what many people have expected,” despite the diverse ideology of the two main parties: the ANC and the DA.

Alongside the mandate compelling them to work together, the ANC’s other options of working with the MK, the EFF, or a combination of smaller parties is not feasible. Kotze does not agree with Stephen Grootes’ sentiment in the Daily Maverick that ‘the more things have changed, the more they have stayed the same’. According to Kotze, there have been a number of changes, like the way the budget was approached, its end result, and the agreement that the budget will now be a “thoroughly consulted process” by all parties.  Additionally, key issues like the National Health Insurance bill and the Bela Act are much more interactive and consultative than they were in the past. Parties other than the ANC are now more influential in decision making processes. The public also understands that the varying views of the different parties are now accommodated by the GNU.

Relationships between parties are bound to get more complicated closer to local government elections as parties will be campaigning against each other, says Kotze. The critical test of the new leadership will come into play when a new head of the ANC is elected in the coming year, forcing parties to “actively redevelop,” with the ANC’s position being “weaker,” despite their having “over-presented their representation” in the GNU.

Listen to the full interview here.