ANC Women’s League secretary-general Nokuthula Nqaba has opined that the government of national unity (GNU) is not ideal; however, voters deciding not to give ANC an outright majority called for it.
As coalition governments had failed at local government level, Nqaba was not surprised by the tumultuous nature of the GNU since its formation.
She was speaking to Sunday World Engage in a wide-ranging interview this week.
According to Nqaba, the GNU was, however, the best choice to keep the country intact as things stand. “We are concerned that the ANC did not do well in the 2024 national and provincial elections, but we are doing our best to improve.
“Before we get to 2019, we are saying the local government elections must be our benchmarking in terms of whether there is an improvement of being received back in the process of renewal and reconnecting,” said Nqaba.
“But the GNU is not doing us justice; look at where we are as we speak – budget issues. We are in a tight situation, with endless negotiations. Today others are with us; some are against us. Tomorrow they speak against what they committed to the day before.
“So, we are in that predicament. But there is no time to complain; we must soldier on. South Africans want a country that is stable; they want job creation, they want electricity permanently, they want service delivery, and they are not interested in bickering.
“We do not want GNU; we just do not want the GNU but unfortunately because of the numbers that we have received, South Africans made it clear that governing alone is not working. Can you partner with other political parties? And we are responding to the call of South Africans, as they have demonstrated through the voting patterns.”
Nqaba said the ANC could still gain back electoral support by changing gears and getting in touch with voters. The use of the ANC’s past glories as a liberation movement has reached its expiration date, she says, among other behavioural shifts ANC leaders and members must undergo.
Nqaba warned that the party could no longer rely on past achievements such as mass electrification, free education, and RDP housing to maintain voter loyalty. “Today’s voters see these as basic rights, not favours,” she said.
She said that modern voters expect services like student funding as entitlements rather than gifts, urging the party to adapt to changing expectations or risk further electoral decline.
Nqaba said the ANC must reclaim its place as the leader of society while navigating the uncharted waters of the GNU.
She believes it is easier said than done to dump the DA for MKP and EFF in the GNU. For now, the DA was just the better devil. “It is all about negotiations, and at the end of the day, it is all about what you bring and give. It goes to the issue of the DA; it is not as if the DA is concerned more about issues of South Africans like unemployment and everything. For them it is about capturing the state.
“It is a dicey situation; even those children (MKP and EFF) who decided to take a particular route, they are not our enemies. We still regard them as our children; that is why we also spoke to them during the construction of the GNU but of course there is that thin line in terms of political differences. But we cannot force the relations of working together; it should be on the table whether we are able to meet their demands and govern with those demands,” she added.
“You know other organisations [like the EFF], they are led by leaders that would say something during the day, but by six in the evening they are telling a completely different story. How do you survive in that kind of environment? So, you ought to be strategic in what we do because it is not about ANC members; it is about South Africans, and we want a stable society.”
