The GNU cracks are now a sinkhole… for the DA? ANC? Or both?

Somehow, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet of (in)Convenience with the Democratic Alliance made it to its one year anniversary about a fortnight ago. 

There was no confetti, nor were there any clumsy statements about the political leaders eating cake on behalf of the masses, to mark the 365 day mark, which was perhaps apt, since the achievements of the GNU thus far are imaginary at best. 

The African National Congress and the DA, as the two main parties in the GNU, have been squabbling since day one, forming bruising cracks on an already strained relationship between two historically ideologically opposed protagonists.

The third largest political party in South Africa, former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party, has suffered its own squabbles as allegations of muthi, witchcraft and all manner of dark arts nonsense was revealed by Floyd Shivambu, who is about to announce his own political stokvel in the coming weeks in the guise of Mayibuye.

But less about Zuma and Shivambu, imaginary intelligence reports which could best be described as Grade 5 creative writing projects, the subject here is the ANC and the DA. 

The ANC and the DA first fought about the number of ministers that would be assigned to the DA, then the allocation of ministers and the respective portfolios, battles that Ramaphosa and secretary general Fikile Mbalula clearly conquered.

Since then, the ANC, against the support of the DA, has pushed on with implementing and signing into law the Basic Education Laws Amendment, Land Expropriation and the National Health Insurance acts. 

The DA has made threats to leave, repeatedly, and it is now evident they will not leave the GNU voluntarily. 

The GNU cracks have been widening since day one and the Andrew Whitfield fiasco, has both parties racing towards a sinkhole in a literal race to the bottom. 

At this point, the GNU cracks are no longer cracks, they now resemble the Lyttleton sinkhole which was shared on social media by traffic man Rob Byrne a few months ago.

Some polls recently have suggested that the DA may surpass the ANC and become the most popular political party by the time we vote again for our next president. 

The accuracy of the data is of course questioned and questionable, but time and events will tell, if the GNU will sink the ANC, the DA or both, by the time we vote again for our next president. 

If the next four years are a story of a marriage of inconvenience and persistent jarring and sparring, the GNU could sink one of, or both, of South Africa’s biggest political parties.

At the same time, there is a mini implosion brewing at the MK Party too, with MK Party deputy president John Hlophe red carding spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhela from the whippery team, while there are also calls for the removal of chief whip Colleen Makhubele. 

To quote a South African media commentator: “South Africa is a movie. Every day there is something new to be shocked about. Today we forgot about what shocked us last week.”

Those of course, are the words of the former student activist Mcebo Dlamini. 

** Sihle Mlambo is a content manager at IOL

** The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of IOL or Independent Media.