Deputy President Paul Mashatile has indicated that the Government of National Unity (GNU), which was formed following the disastrous May elections, was here to stay.
Mashatile said despite widespread criticism, the GNU will endure the five-year term which many critics say its collapse was imminent within the next year or so.
Among those who have been vocal against this new form of government alongside the DA and other “colonial forces” is the EFF, the MK Party and the SACP, particularly Solly Mapaila who continues to slam the GNU at every public platform.
Mashatile, who was speaking during an interview with SABC political editor Mzwandile Mbeje on Tuesday evening, said GNU offered stability.
“GNU is giving us a much better stability. The so-called left parties were given the first preference priority and our negotiating team met with the EFF four times and with MK Party, maybe three times. They chose not to come in. It is not true that we ignored them...
“Based on sentiment GNU will last because this is based on principle and not what we like. One of the principle is respect for the constitution and the law. We agree on a programme that prioritises serves the people and whoever deviates from that they will leave alone and the GNU will remain because of that strong foundation that we laid,” he said.
Mashatile’s remarks comes just days after SACP general-secretary, Mapaila accused the ANC of selling out by aligning itself with the DA and other non-aligned forces such as the FF Plus.
Last week and in many other recent public platforms, Mapaila had been critical about how the ANC has gone about constituting its government following the May elections where it failed to get a convincing majority to govern on its own.
“The SACP is angry because the ANC has sold out... We thought we could set up a minority government with forces like the EFF. Of course, the ANC NEC (national executive committee) went and said we are going with the government of national unity, we are inviting everyone. Then the EFF comes and says, we are not going to join if everyone is included, particularly the DA and Freedom Front Plus,” Mapaila said in July.
However, on Tuesday, Mashatile said the ANC has not sold out, adding that the ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, will be convening a meeting among tripartite alliance partners to iron things out.
“The ANC is not selling out. The good thing about the alliance is that we allow our partners to express their views. Sometimes they use words that we do not like but we will not going to crucify them because we are a democracy. I can tell you that on this issue of the GNU, the alliance is at one. Well, there must be something troubling Solly, but not the SACP.
“Yeah, but he’s not the SACP and the SG is calling a meeting of the alliance secretariat so that we can hear what he has to say... (if they are) unhappy about something. But the party has not come to us and said, this is a sellout. There are ministers of the SACP in the cabinet. They would have walked away,” he said.
On the issue of extortion rings and construction mafias which have emerged in provinces such as KZN, Gauteng, Eastern Cape and other parts of the country, Mashatile said there were efforts to deal with the scourge of extortionists.
“That is one of the biggest problems, the construction mafias affect even government projects and programmes. They cannot move because appointed contractors as they do the work, people come and demand protection fees... We said to the minister of police, you cannot work alone.
“As I am speaking to you now, I got a report saying almost 700 people have been arrested because criminals have become so brazen and shoot at police without blinking. So we need to put criminals on the run and not the other way round,” he said.
The Star