The ANC and several political commentators have been touting the Government of National Unity (GNU) as a reflection of the wishes of South Africa’s electorate. After the failure of any political party to achieve a majority of the votes in the elections, politicians have been scrambling to negotiate around coalitions, and subsequently to find a spot in the ANC-led proposal for a ‘Government of National Unity’ (GNU). The subsequent horse trading and jockeying for positions amongst politicians, behind the backs of the population however makes a complete mockery of democracy.

Prior to the ANC call for a GNU, the most popular scenario which has been promoted by the bourgeois press was for the Democratic Alliance (DA) and ANC to enter into a coalition. Both political parties however received some backlash from their supporters. ANC members demonstrated outside the ANC headquarters against forming a coalition with the DA. Instead of forming a minority government, which it was entitled to do, the ANC proposed to form a voluntary government of national unity (GNU) into which they invited other political parties to form a cabinet. Initially the DA and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) indicated that they would enter the GNU. Subsequently, several other smaller political parties joined, bringing the total to 10 parties which have signed the GNU statement of intent. These political parties had only weeks before proclaimed that their values were not aligned to those of the ANC. Parties that have previously vowed not to work together now find themselves in the GNU. Peddling lies such as this is second nature for these political scoundrels. uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) has pronounced that it will not work with the ANC while Ramaphosa is president. This means that they are still willing to work with the ANC. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has also left the door open, indicating they are willing to join the GNU if the DA and Freedom Front (FF) do not form part of the GNU.

After 30 years of an ANC government, millions of South Africans who continue to live in conditions of poverty have simply decided enough is enough. The deepening socio-economic crisis, high levels of structural unemployment and high levels of crime have resulted in a loss of faith in the ability of the ANC to govern the country in the interests of the majority of workers and peasants. Deep-seated corruption and theft are affecting all aspects of the state and has resulted in the collapse of local government, infrastructure, parastatals (such as ESKOM), and the health and education systems. Even longstanding ANC veterans have admitted the decaying moral fibre of ANC. Many communities are feeling side-lined by the ANC and have shifted their voting support to other political parties which they believe are alternatives.

Symptoms of Bourgeois Electoral Crises
The outcome of the 2024 national elections is an indication that the majority of South Africans are simply fed up with existing bourgeois political parties. Among the four biggest parties, the African National Congress (ANC) was dealt the heaviest blow, falling from 57% in 2019 to only 40% of the vote, while the DA received 21%, the newly formed MK received 14% and the EFF received 9%.

The result of the 2024 elections is not only a rejection of the ANC, but a rejection of the entire bourgeois system. The 58,6% voter turnout is the single largest indictment of this fact. Add to this the fact that 14,5 million eligible voters never bothered to register. The ANC and other bourgeois political parties are now trying to save face by selling this grand coalition to the people, claiming it is the wishes of the people that political parties should govern together. A legitimate question to ask is, why would a growing majority of the electorate decide to stay away from the ballot box and not vote for a new parliament?

The long delay in the announcement of a cabinet of the GNU due to negotiations around positions in government is giving us a taste of what we can expect in terms of the delivery of services. In public, political parties which joined the GNU pretend not to see eye-to-eye. However, in private they agree on most policies. They are more concerned with positions which will pay big salaries and other privileges, rather than serving the people who voted for them. Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial positions will also allow them to redirect the financial resources and contracts of those departments for the benefit of their own companies or those of friends and families. This is what the population of South Africa rejected in the recent elections.

The majority of South Africans however, have a painful experience of coalition politics. Communities have been experiencing poor service delivery in local municipalities which are being governed by coalitions. These coalitions have been based on local, provincial and national elites or networks who are fighting to control resources, seeking to extract rents from the state. This has resulted in the collapse of infrastructure and poor delivery of basic services such as water, sanitation and electricity, while councillors and local businessmen and women become rich overnight. These political hyenas are now circling around to control national government, state enterprises and public entities, which have been under the control of ANC cronies for 30 years. The ongoing negotiations is about who gets what piece of the pie.

The farce of a GNU being forced down the throats of the South African population by political opportunists can only spell further hardships for the working class and its allies. The working class and landless peasantry, who constitute the majority in this country have made their voice clear by rejecting this farce of a capitalist or bourgeois democracy. We demand a new constitution in the interests of the majority of workers and landless peasantry; a constitution drawn up by a democratically elected Constituent Assembly acting in the name of the labouring majority.