News24 | GNU kicked off with newbie DA ministers told they do not just represent their party

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni briefed the media in Cape Town on Thursday.

• Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says political parties have learned from one another in the government of national unity.
• ANC ministers had to clarify that ministers, especially from the DA, do not just represent their party.
• On Thursday, Ntshavheni addressed a press conference in Cape Town.

In the first year of the government of national unity (GNU), experienced ANC Cabinet ministers had to constantly remind their DA colleagues that they do not only represent their political parties.

“We had to clarify this is not a DA ministry, it’s a government ministry,” Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Thursday.

But one year into the GNU, the Cabinet has gotten over that hurdle and was “now moving towards working as a government, accepting that the wins of one are the wins of all”, added Ntshavheni when she addressed a post-Cabinet briefing in Cape Town on Thursday.

Asked how the GNU was working out, she said it was a huge transition for opposition parties.

Ntshavheni added they had to go from criticising the government to finding solutions to the country’s challenges.

“It’s easier to be in the opposition than to be in government because your job is to criticise when you’re in opposition. When you’re in government, your job is to find solutions to the country’s challenges. That realisation made quite an impact on all of us and a commitment for all of us within the government of national unity to find solutions.

“Coalition governments have fallen in their first year, and through the Budget, we almost went there. But like South Africa and our resourcefulness, we worked it out. We now all agreed on the Budget, what it means, and the work that still needs to be done,” she said.

Ntshavheni added that ministers also challenged each other about the pace of implementation.

READ | Fiscal framework adopted with all GNU partners’ support

“In the first year, we had to deal with a lot of DA ministers, and we had to clarify … that [you] are not a DA minister, it’s a government minister. We are now getting over that; we are moving towards working as a government, accepting that the wins of one are the wins of all and that there’s no one department that is insular from the others. No one department can work outside the support of others,” she said.

The GNU was seriously jeopardised in February after the ANC and DA disagreed on the Budget.

The ANC rejected a DA proposal in which the parties agreed on shared economic policy management.

For the DA, which had pinned its support for the Budget on securing such an agreement, the rejection effectively ended talks on the Budget.

The DA had told the ANC that if it passed the Budget, it would effectively end the GNU without its support.

The ANC openly said it was shopping for votes among other GNU parties and non-GNU ones in Parliament.

READ | New fight brewing between ANC and DA

Despite the hurdles, Ntshavheni said there were several positives.

“We have had to learn to do the consultation, [we looked at] how do you strengthen the mechanisms of engaging both formally in Cabinet and outside of government, but what I can assure all of you is that decisions in Cabinet have never been on a vote. They’ve been on a consensus basis to show solidarity,” she added.

Ntshavheni said although parties worked in the GNU, she knew they were still competing.

“Next year [in the 2026 local government elections] and by-elections, we will continue contesting each other. We win and lose some, but we are all committed to ensuring we grow South Africa. We are committed to ensuring our parties achieve victory in our different parties,” she added.