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It was inevitable. South Africa’s ‘government of national unity’ (GNU) was bound to experience teething troubles. Which is probably because, just as the African National Congress (ANC) has become notorious for rampant corruption among its leaders, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has long been perceived in some circles as political home to vast numbers of people with racist attitudes.
Ours is not to speculate or comment on the reasons for either phenomenon.
That said, according to an article published eight years ago in The Conversation, “there are compelling reasons that situate the morality challenges faced by the ANC – and by extension the country – in the 1994 political transition” (The ANC for Sale? Money, Morality & Business in South Africa, Roger Southall, 2008). One is that “as a political party, the ANC ... needed funding”. The other is its use of what’s now known as broad-based black economic empowerment to promote transformation.
As for racism in the DA, Rekgotsofetse Chikane (The Africa Report) attributes this to the party’s “third realignment” – described as “the rise of the sanctimonious liberal ... marked by a sense of moral superiority and self-righteousness”. Diverging from the party’s “foundational liberal principles”, in Chikane’s view the focus of its leadership “shifted from promoting civil liberties, market protection and social justice to critiquing opponents and upholding their views without substantial liberal backing”.
Be that as it may.
Following the DA’s decision to participate in the GNU, there was a distinct change in attitude among its some of its more outspoken Cabinet appointees. Which may be why Renaldo Gouws and Roman Cabanac quickly lost their prominent positions. In that context, the following articles make interesting reading:
Gouws’ suspension (TimesLIVE)
Gouws’ return (IOL)
DA defends the decision (The Citizen)
Cabanac’s appointment and public reaction (Daily Friend)
Cabanac refuses to resign (Daily Maverick)
Cabanac’s dismissal process begins (News24)
The ANC is taking far longer to get its parliamentary house in order, although at least its veterans’ league “is campaigning for two MPs, a Deputy Minister and a Minister to step aside because they are implicated in state capture and corruption” (Daily Maverick, courtesy of MSN News). This follows the resignation of recently re-elected MP and former Sport, Arts & Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa, who was reportedly among “almost 100 members” recommended by the party’s integrity commission in March for exclusion from its election candidates list (City Press). The commission’s full report and recommendations have never been made public but may have included high-profile members now targeted by the veterans’ league. They are:
Justice & Constitutional Development Minister Justice Minister Thembi Simelane
Water & Sanitation Deputy Minister David Mahlobo
MP Malusi Gigaba (who during his political career has held three ministerial positions: Home Affairs, Public Enterprises and Finance), and
MP Cedrick Frolick (National Assembly chair of committees since 2010).
Simelane reportedly appeared today before the ANC’s integrity commission (Daily Maverick) for having been implicated in the 2018 VBS Mutual Bank scandal (Daily Maverick). At the time of writing, there was no information on the hearing’s proceedings or outcome.
As former Minister of State Security, “was summoned to testify at the Zondo Commission ... (in the context of allegations) of participating in the development of a shadow state” (Daily Maverick).
According to the Zondo Commission report, Gigaba was a “willing participant” in the notorious Gupta family’s state capturing “schemes” (News24).
Meanwhile, South Africa’s leading opposition party outside the GNU (uMkhonto weSizwe/MK) has two other state capture suspects among its MPs: former Transnet executives Brian Molefe and Siyabonga Gama (Mail & Guardian). Not to forget impeached former judge John Hlophe, who serves as the chief whip and has also been nominated to serve on the Judicial Services Commission (EWN).
Can a mere scribe be blamed for sharing the Flanders and Swan GNU song?
Footnote: political parties represented in Parliament’s National Assembly
*GNU member parties are the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Patriotic Alliance (PA), the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Good, the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), the United Democratic Movement (UDM), Al Jama-ah, Rise Mzansi and the United Africans Transformation (UAT).
*The EFF is one of several political parties represented in Parliament outside the GNU. The others are: uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), ActionSA, the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP), Build One South Africa (BOSA), the African Transformation Movement (ATM) and the National Coloured Congress (NCC).
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