Layla Hadid
With two seats in the seventh National Assembly, Al Jama-ah has turned down the African National Congress’s (ANC) invitation to participate in a government of national unity (GNU).
The GNU is being formulated because the ANC lost its majority in the recent elections and is now seeking alliances with its rivals to form the next government.
On Monday, Al Jama-ah disclosed that its leader and Member of Parliament, Ganief Hendricks, was invited by the ANC over the weekend as part of the latter’s consultation process on plans to establish a government of national unity.
While Al Jama-ah welcomed the ANC’s broad consultation with political parties, Hendricks stated that his party is “strongly opposed” to a government of national unity.
During his engagement with the ANC, the opposition leader strongly cautioned the Luthuli House-based party against entering a unity government with the Democratic Alliance (DA), describing the government of national unity as a “mere modernised approach of apartheid.”
“Less dependence on white monopoly is the only way to prosperity for all South Africans. The country’s economy should be controlled by blacks, the reparation of land will not be achieved by a government of national unity. Codesa delayed true freedom and a GNU will further bury these aspirations which would eventually lead to a bloodbath,”
said Hendricks.
“The party views the GNU as a mere modernised approach of apartheid with a clear objective for a regime change through a soft coup. Lessons must be learnt from the past 30 years of freedom which are described by many as fake,”
he added.
Hendricks emphasized that South Africa must govern and serve its people without interference from former colonial powers, which contradicts the ANC’s policy of non-racialism.
“The inequalities existing amongst South Africans have been allowed to grow to alarming proportions and this requires a radical change,”
he noted.
Hendricks also expressed concerns that the freedoms currently enjoyed by South Africans would be reversed if the DA were included in the government of national unity.
“Al Jama-ah outrightly rejects a government of national unity because it will include the values of the ‘moonshot pact’ which is anti-humanitarian, supports the genocide of Palestinians and its policies are anti-poor leaving the vast majority of South Africans out in the cold,”
Hendricks said.
Following the May 29 elections, the ANC dramatically dropped below the 50 percent threshold, losing its long-held parliamentary majority. It now desperately needs coalition partners to form the next government.
ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa announced last week that his party is seeking to collaborate with rival opposition parties to form a government of national unity to move South Africa forward.
However, the lengthy discussions about potential coalitions and cooperation, similar to those in various democracies around the world, have been plagued by mistrust and discord, as different political parties vie for positions and posts.
The South African Constitution requires that the first sitting of Parliament, which elects key functionaries including the president of the country, the speaker, and the deputy speaker, must be held within 14 days from the declaration of election results.
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