The African National Congress (ANC) is set to update the nation on the potential expansion of the Government of National Unity (GNU), a move that follows internal struggles to pass key legislation and has drawn mixed reactions from both current and prospective governing partners.
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula confirmed the party’s intention to engage with political parties outside the current ten-party pact. This announcement comes after a period of difficulty for the GNU, which was formed over a year ago. The most significant challenge to its stability was an inability to reach a consensus on the 2025 Budget, forcing the ANC to seek support from opposition parties not part of the GNU to ensure its passage in parliament.
“The GNU is always on our agenda,” stated Mbalula. “We will engage about the GNU in the next two, three weeks, resetting the pattern, work with all political parties in the GNU and going forward to ensure that the GNU becomes stronger, but most importantly the ANC must be strong.”
The possibility of an expansion has been met with concern from some current GNU members. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has been particularly vocal, warning that bringing in more parties could complicate the governance process. A DA representative emphasized that any decision on expansion must be done in consultation with existing members and based on the “sufficient consensus clause” within the GNU’s statement of intent.
“I don’t believe that expanding the GNU is going to assist the GNU to go forward. I think it’s going to complicate things even further,” the DA representative said.
Parties outside the current arrangement have also reacted. While ActionSA acknowledged it worked with the ANC to pass a third budget proposal earlier this year, the party stated it intends to remain a constructive opposition and not join the GNU. A senior member of ActionSA revealed that the party had made this clear to the ANC immediately after the elections, rejecting an invitation to join.
Similarly, the Build One South Africa (Bosa) movement has set specific conditions for any potential engagement, stating it would not be drawn into a fight between the ANC and the DA. A Bosa representative outlined concerns that expanding the GNU should not lead to a bloated cabinet, which it called “the most bloated cabinet we’ve seen in democratic history,” and warned that adding certain parties would “simply complicate the issue.”
While the ANC has remained mum on the details of which parties it is engaging with, it is expected to provide an update on the process within the coming weeks.