President Thabo Mbeki recently shared a story which has relevance to the current Government of National Unity (GNU) ructions. He said his mother told him that in the olden days, the African practice of ilobola (dowry) between the families of two people who wanted to get married was given to the uncles (oomalume) of the bride, as insurance for the children that might come from the marriage. They kept it in case a marital crisis forced the woman to leave her marital home. She would then use the money to provide for herself and the children.
Oomalume had a stake in the marriage not only to protect the welfare of the children but also to keep the marriage together. Other people with an interest were oonozakuzaku, the ilobola negotiators between the two families. Just like the oomalume and oonozakuzaku in the ilobola process, ordinary South Africans have a stake in the quality of governance and the relationships between the members of the GNU because they voted for them. Therefore, the political parties in the GNU must take into consideration the views of voters as they seek a way forward.
The GNU is currently facing a major threat of implosion following the signing of the Expropriation Bill into law by President Ramaphosa apparently without consulting the other GNU members. Parties such as the Patriotic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, and Freedom Front Plus have expressed serious disappointment and disagreements, and the Democratic Alliance has invoked the provisions of the GNU Statement of Intent and threatened to take legal action against such a decision.
These developments threaten the stability of our government in ways reminiscent of the instability of the coalition governments in City of Johannesburg, City of Tshwane, City of Ekurhuleni, and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality in recent history. Service delivery, crime, corruption, unemployment and a weak economy remain serious problems facing South Africans. No matter what the issues are, South Africans have a stake in the quality of the GNU. The problems that have arisen between them will not affect only them. They will affect all of us as citizens. This means that all attempts must be made to overcome the current difficulties.
South Africans voted for the GNU. They care more about South Africa than they care about the parties in the GNU because they care about governance. Parties are simply democratic instruments for citizens to achieve their own objectives. This means that the political parties cannot simply act on party political self-interest alone. They need to consider the feelings and the views of the citizens as well.
There is something to be said about representative democracy, where elected representatives have some leeway to make certain decisions. However, at stake in the collapse of any government is a collapse in governance, which in turn compromises the citizens’ voices in government.
Similarly to the clearing house mechanism established by the GNU to process disagreements and break deadlocks, we need to establish a mechanism made up of civil society organisations to resolve problems that can negatively affect the lives of citizens.
In the meantime, polls must be held, and surveys must be conducted by credible and non-politically aligned organisations to solicit the views of the public. Public participation forums must also be convened to collect the views of people. Those views must then be taken into account as parties in the GNU chart a way forward.
Governance is not child’s play; it concerns the effectiveness of the government, the quality of lives of citizens and the ability of business to thrive. Too much is at stake to simply leave it in the hands of political parties.
Lonwabo Patrick Kulati is the Chief Executive Officer of Good Governance Africa’s (GGA) Southern Africa Regional Office (SARO). He has a strong history of leading international NGOs and driving organisational growth, effectiveness and profitability. He also has expertise in strategy development and execution, leadership coaching, fund development, stakeholder management, advocacy and partnership cultivation. Patrick is also a published author of "A Gap in the Cloud," providing valuable insights and inspiration on personal and leadership resilience. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Stellenbosch.
