One Year of the GNU: How the ANC-DA pact betrayed voters and blocked real change

Arrogance, secretive deals, broken promises, and a surprise ANC-DA alliance, excluding the EFF and MK , is what defined the fallout of the ANC’s lost majority, as the Government of National Unity (GNU) marks one year.

What began as an urgent response to a hung national election outcome in May 2024 has revealed itself, critics say, as a fragile alliance marred by internal tensions, ideological contradictions, and a growing trust deficit.

Political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu of Nelson Mandela University (NMU) described the arrangement as mischaracterised from the beginning.

“It's not a GNU in the true sense. What we have is a coalition government at the national level,” Mngomezulu told IOL News. 

“The way they projected it, calling it a GNU - is misleading. A GNU has its own dynamics, which differ from a multi-party coalition.”

Mngomezulu said South Africa failed to manage the coalition process effectively, as it was the first of its kind at the national level since democracy began in 1994.

“It came unexpectedly to the politicians. But to some of us watching from afar, it was predictable. The ANC was losing support, the DA wasn’t gaining ground, and the EFF was stagnating.”

After the May 2024 elections, the African National Congress (ANC) secured just 40% of the vote, failing to maintain its decades-long parliamentary majority.

Following weeks of negotiations, a statement of intent was signed by 10 parties, among them the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party, GOOD Party, Freedom Front Plus, United Democratic Movement, Al Jama-ah, Rise Mzansi, and others, establishing the coalition government at the national level.

Not surprisingly, tensions have flared within the GNU, especially between DA and ANC, as policy disagreements continue to strain the coalition.

The stability and future of the GNU have remained precarious, with ongoing infighting casting doubt on the coalition’s ability to govern effectively.

This has left many South Africans still wondering, what really took place behind closed doors during the formation of the GNU?

However, Mngomezulu and Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast agree: the foundation was unstable from the start.

Breakfast said the ANC’s “arrogance of power” contributed to its electoral loss and subsequent reliance on coalition partners.

“They were voted out, and then ended up at 40%, which created scope for a coalition,” he said. 

“It was unexpected for the ANC and DA to end up in the same bed, given their ideological differences. But in my view, market forces played a role. Remember the delegation to the US with Johann Rupert and others?”

Breakfast believes the ANC chose the DA and other centrist parties to block more radical actors, namely Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party, from entering government.

“The ANC sacrificed to work with the Freedom Front and the DA to avoid working with the EFF or MK,” he said. 

“They used the GNU label to avoid the word 'coalition,' which carries more baggage.”

Breakfast added that DA leader John Steenhuisen admitted the party joined the GNU not out of alignment with the ANC, but to block the EFF and MK Party from participating in governance.

On the other side, Mngomezulu argued that the coalition’s failure to deliver on promises reflects deeper issues of dishonesty and misalignment.

“They’re not reading from the same script,” he said. 

“The DA has openly said it joined just to keep the EFF and MK out, which shows it wasn’t based on genuine cooperation.”

Policy differences have also been stark.

“On domestic policy, foreign policy, everything - they differ,” said Mngomezulu. 

“The ANC is pro-Palestine, the DA is pro-Israel. That’s not sustainable.”

He also criticised the ANC’s continued dominance in tone and posture.

“They behave like they’re still the sole governing party,” he said. 

“Even the president once said the ANC is still in charge because they have the president, deputy president, and most ministers. That’s not how a coalition work.”

Breakfast agreed, adding different interpretations of the coalition’s framework.

“The ANC says it’s a GNU. The DA says it’s a coalition. These conflicting understandings are destabilising,” he said.

The GNU has also struggled to present a united front on key legislation.

Contentious laws such as the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill, and the Land Expropriation Act were passed despite opposition from coalition members.

The DA’s Leon Schreiber and Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube both initially opposed legislation their parties disagreed with, only to later fall in line. 

The DA had strongly opposed the Employment Equity Amendment Act, however the ANC and other its Minister of Employment and Labour Nomakhosazana Meth, had backed it.

One of the biggest tests was the budget impasse, which required three attempts by the Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana to pass.

Breakfast downplayed these tensions as normal.

“Globally, coalitions have ups and downs. Germany, the Netherlands, and even Israel experience this. Most conflicts revolve around budgets,” he said. 

“Still, better conflict management structures could have prevented some of these issues.”

Mngomezulu, however, sees these incidents as signs of deeper instability.

“The GNU was never united. It was staged authenticity, something inauthentic presented as if it were real,” he said. 

“Look at the DA litigating against the government it’s part of. That makes a mockery of the whole arrangement.”

Despite repeated threats to exit the GNU, particularly from the DA, both analysts agree the party is unlikely to walk away.

“They won’t leave, not because it’s working, but because they have their own interests,” said Mngomezulu. 

“They have positions now - ministers and deputy ministers -that they wouldn't get otherwise.”

He warned that the public is watching.

“These politicians say one thing and do another. They campaign against the ANC, then form a government with them. Come 2026, voters will remember.”

Breakfast said the GNU’s future still holds promise, if the parties can mature politically.

“It’s only been a year. Let’s talk facts - unemployment may have risen by one percentage point, but that’s not necessarily catastrophic. The numbers haven’t shifted significantly.”

Mngomezulu, however, said the signs are ominous.

“This must be a learning curve. The ANC is not growing. The DA isn’t growing enough to take over. The EFF declined in 2024. Coalition politics is South Africa’s future, our leaders must learn to manage it,” he said.

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