On Thursday, ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his party's intention to establish a Government of National Unity (GNU) in the wake of the party's loss of its majority in the May 29 general elections. However, a political analyst from the University of KwaZulu Natal, Zakhele Ndlovu, holds a firm belief that the GNU will not be successful in South Africa due to the existence of diverse political views.

WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY?

The Government of National Unity is an agreement that involves all political parties that have received enough votes to be represented in the National Assembly. This agreement requires all parties to adhere to a common set of principles. The main idea behind this unity government is to have support from other parties for key decisions, such as the budget, while still maintaining their own political and ideological beliefs. South Africa was once governed by a Government of National Unity from 1994 to February 1997 under the leadership of ANC. The GNU was established and headed by Nelson Mandela as president and FW De Klerk as his deputy president with the cabinet including ministers from other political parties as well as members of the National Party and IFP. 

DIFFERENT POLITICAL VIEWS

Ndlovu said that he does not see the GNU working in South Africa as there are different political views. "The GNU involves different political parties with different political views. If you may recall, it was the late former President Mandela who was able to achieve this. Mandela did this to accommodate the Inkatha Freedom Party and the National Party. It was about reconciling and forgetting about the past to try and move the country forward," he said, adding: "This time around there is a lot at stake. Ideologies have changed and so the people have become wiser and smarter when it comes to political matters. The fact that people were able to give the ANC 40% from 57% must say a lot about the interests of the people. Currently, the GNU will force the ANC to please other parties instead of the people of South Africa. Judging by the latest comments from political parties, I don't see it working," he said.

SNAP ELECTIONS MIGHT BE AN OPTION  

Ndlovu said that the only option the country had was to go for re-elections. He said that the country cannot afford to have another election. "It is time-consuming and demands a lot of money. The only option can be the snap elections where political parties decide who must vote. It is different from the recent elections where people above 18 years are eligible to vote. Snap elections are when parties come together and agree that a certain number of people, ages, and provinces can vote. It is not an easy thing but as things stand, we are going to that route," he said. Ndlovu said that the only thing that will rescue the ANC is for the organisation to work with the DA, IFP, and EFF. "They need 201 seats for the quorum to sit. Other than that, span elections are imminent," he said.