Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chair Helen Zille is reiterating her position that the current South African government structure is better described as a coalition of parties rather than a Government of National Unity (GNU). Zille argued that a true GNU would feature a party with an outright majority, which is not the case in the present setup that excludes certain parties.
During her appearance on the Clement Manyathela Show on 702, Zille discussed the controversy surrounding her previous comments. She had faced criticism following her statements at a seminar hosted by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, where she mentioned that branding the government a GNU rather than a coalition was more appealing to some parties, including her own.
Despite the backlash, Zille emphasized that the current formation, which involves 10 political parties without an outright majority, technically constitutes a coalition. “We don’t care what you call it. In the DA, we call it a hybrid model, other people call it a GNU. That’s fine. We have no problem calling it a Government of National Unity,” she stated on Tuesday, dismissing the ongoing semantic debate as a source of unnecessary outrage and clickbait.
Zille also addressed perceived tensions within the coalition, particularly with the ANC, which she accused of acting like a majority party. “If there’s any cause for friction, it is because some people in the ANC, I’m not saying all – think we are there by grace and favour of the ANC. We are not.”
Looking ahead, Zille revealed plans to meet with ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula on Thursday to discuss the framework for a national dialogue intended to shape the future governance model.
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