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Daily Maverick
20-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
The GNU has failed the only test that matters: growing the economy and delivering jobs
The national coalition is entering yet another week it may not survive. While there have been real mistakes of leadership – and the ANC and the DA cannot give up their patterns from the past – it is becoming increasingly obvious that what is missing is a sense of mission. Because the parties involved are not focusing on the economy, and particularly youth unemployment, the coalition can give the impression that it is doomed. When the national coalition was formed and the ANC and the DA agreed to work together, along with eight other parties, there was some discussion about how to assess, in the future, whether the coalition was a success. Because the lived experience of so many South Africans has become so much tougher so quickly, it was pretty obvious, back in June 2024, that the real test was the economy. As has been said many, many, many times before, our youth unemployment is now so bad that it is easily the biggest long-term problem we face. Despite this obvious fact, disputed by nobody, the coalition has done nothing. At the same time, it appears the coalition is missing a sense of unity around a purpose. There appears to be no sense of 'mission' that could help bring people from different political backgrounds together. Instead, it can give the impression of a group of people united only by their belief that they should be in Cabinet and the MK party and the EFF should be out of it. If the coalition had created a sense of mission by focusing on youth unemployment, perhaps this could have brought them together. Surely parties as far apart politically as the PAC and the FF+ agree that helping young people into jobs and giving them hope is vital for our future. If the coalition had this sense of mission, perhaps it would have been able to overcome the lack of leadership and personal chemistry that is currently on display. It would have been much easier to overcome disagreements over the Budget, or the still-strange firing of the DA's Andrew Whitfield, if there had been another ultimate aim. But that is curiously lacking. And, strangely, it is not just the coalition. Direction unknown While there are many differing views about whether a National Dialogue would really be constructive, one of the most powerful arguments against it is that it will lack focus. It appears to include people from almost all parts of our public life. And their job is to discuss pretty much everything. This will probably be fatal to the process. It is hard to see what can really be achieved. Surely no decisions will be made that will alter the nature of our economy. Instead, it appears that many of our politicians, whether they are a part of the coalition, or supporting a dialogue, are more comfortable discussing issues other than the economy. There is a curious lack of focus. Of course, Operation Vulindlela and the progress it is making should not be ignored. Some of its measures, dealing with load shedding and the progress it's made at Transnet, are making slow changes to our economy that should be celebrated. But our politicians appear to lack the will to make the real changes that will matter. This is part of a pattern which took hold some time ago. Fifteen years ago, I made the same point about the ANC's lack of focus on the economy. At least eight years ago, ANC members made the same point on these pages. Government itself said back in 2020, even before the pandemic, that the economy was not going to grow unless there was action. This lack of focus obviously predates President Cyril Ramaphosa. Rather, it may be a feature of how the ANC has governed over the years. In 2007, days after winning the ANC leadership at Polokwane, Jacob Zuma gave very few clues on governance priorities. In 2009, the ANC said it had five 'apex priorities'. During the Zuma era in government, this lack of focus revealed itself in interesting ways. For example, in 2014 he appointed inter-ministerial committees to deal with particular issues. These committees were huge. The committee appointed to work against corruption (this was in the relatively early days of the Zuma era – the full irony of this committee would emerge later) included nine ministers. The committee on information and publicity had 12 (twelve!) members. It should be no surprise to anyone that nothing constructive was done here. Too many cooks There is, of course, a structural reason for all of this. As our society is so diverse, with so many different constituencies, politicians often struggle to be involved in discussions that will involve trade-offs. They do not want to be seen to be losing a single vote. The fact that the ANC set the tone for this may well be because it had the most diverse group of constituencies of all our parties. Simply put, it was always too broad a church to create economic policy that could include trade-offs. Something similar might well be happening today. The coalition is simply too broad to make the decisions that matter. For this reason, the National Dialogue might well appear to fail as well. It is true that there are many other factors holding our economy back. They include the fact that so many people have literally been betrayed by our education system, that inequality generally harms economic growth and that our infrastructure has been allowed to rot. None of this will be overcome without political will. For the moment, members of the national coalition are displaying none of the will, and the unity, necessary to change this. There will be many casualties as a result of this inaction.
Mail & Guardian
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Collen Malatji: ANC hates small boy Floyd Shivambu; no one cares about him — and Zuma realised it
ANCYL President Collen Malatji The Malatji made the comments in the wake of suggestions that Shivambu could leave the MK party — where he had brief tenures first as national organiser and then secretary-general. MK leader 'I don't want Floyd in the ANC; I want Julius,' Malatji told the Mail & Guardian in an interview last week, referring to Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader 'Floyd is a small boy and no one cares about him. Zuma realised it. There's nobody following Floyd. He can do what he wants; he can form his own party. He hates the ANC and the ANC hates him. We don't want Floyd in the ANC. The person we would welcome is Julius, not Floyd, because Julius has a base.' Malatji dismissed Shivambu as lacking a political support base and known only on social media, adding: 'Even in his village, no one cares about him.' The MK party had planned to redeploy Shivambu to parliament but sources said he declined the offer. 'He's not on the parliamentary list — unless it changes at the last minute,' one source told the Mail & Guardian. Aside from Shivambu's controversial trip to Malawi, where he attended a church service conducted by fugitive from the law Shepherd Bushiri, party members also accused him of being divisive and arrogant. In a speech to the Maanda-Ashu Workers Union of South Africa on Saturday, Shivambu said, since his removal from his MK post, he had had no full-time responsibilities and had spoken to the union's president about doing volunteer work for the organisation across South Africa. Shivambu said the union needed to have a presence in all the regions of KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Western Cape. At an MK party rally in Durban on Sunday, Zuma castigated party members who had called for Shivambu's reinstatement, threatened to protest against the decision and demanded an explanation from the national high command regarding the move. 'If we realise that one of us has gone astray, we won't beg. There have been seven secretary generals in this party; they are seven now because we are not playing,' Zuma told party supporters. 'Even if you know you are big, you are loved, you're everything, we don't care; we talk about our party. There are people who have been saying they want to protest because we took a certain decision; it means this party is still not fully built the way we want it.' In the interview with the M&G, Malatji described Shivambu as an undisciplined individual who had been expelled from all youth structures of the ANC, his political home before joining the EFF, from which he defected last year. In 2012, Shivambu was suspended by the ANC for three years for misconduct and later followed Malema — who had been expelled by the party — to form the EFF. In the lead-up to May 2024 general elections, Shivambu, who was then still the EFF deputy president, urged all political parties to unite against the ANC and 'unplug' it from all areas. The ANC's support plunged to 40% in the elections, forcing it to form a government of national unity. The EFF also suffered a loss of support, losing its spot as the third largest party in the country to MK. Malatji warned that, if Shivambu were to rejoin the ANC, the party would not survive. 'Floyd has been expelled from YCL [Young Communist League], Sasco [South African Students Congress], Youth League, ANC. He is like that and he's not a disciplined person. He's too arrogant and we don't need him in the ANC,' he said. 'If he comes, he comes, but he's not going to survive in the ANC. We don't want people like him; we want people who are disciplined and not arrogant.'
Mail & Guardian
27-05-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
MK party sacks Manyi as chief whip, replaces him with Makhubela
The MK party has removed Mzwanele Manyi as its chief whip in the National Assembly, less than a year after his appointment. The Manyi's dismissal was announced by National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza during Tuesday's parliamentary session, ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa's appearance for a question-and-answer session with MPs. Manyi was replaced by former speaker of the City of Johannesburg council, Colleen Makhubele. According to a letter circulating on WhatsApp, Manyi was informed of his removal through official party communication signed by deputy party president John Hlophe. 'I am writing to inform you that, with immediate effect, you are hereby relieved of your duties as the chief whip of the MK party in the National Assembly. This decision was made with careful consideration and in the interest of advancing the collective goals and objectives of our party,' the letter read. 'We are pleased to announce that Honourable Colleen Makhubele will assume the position of chief whip effective immediately.' Manyi was appointed to parliament in August 2024, replacing Sihle Ngubane. His appointment as chief whip was seen as a move to stabilise the party's parliamentary operations and ensure alignment with its leadership, including Zuma and Hlophe. Makhubele has been described in party ranks as a rising figure and an effective communicator. She was elected to the City of Johannesburg council as part of the Congress of the People before aligning with the MK party ahead of the 2024 general elections. Manyi's removal comes months after News24 reported allegations of physical confrontation between him and Hlophe during a caucus meeting in February, where Hlophe accused Manyi of sabotaging his State of the Nation debate, which was drafted by Manyi. Sources told the Mail & Guardian at the time that Hlophe accused Manyi of undermining his position as the party's deputy leader. Party spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela denied the incident at the time, referring to it as a mischaracterisation of internal party discussions. Neither Hlophe nor Manyi commented publicly on the matter. The leadership change comes amid calls in the party for a broader restructuring of its parliamentary leadership. A discussion document circulating among party members proposes a revamp of the party's structures to improve discipline and parliamentary performance. The party, which became the official opposition after the 2024 general elections, has faced internal criticism over its perceived lack of visibility and failure to set the agenda in parliament, while the Economic Freedom Fighters and parties in the government of national unity have gained momentum. An MK party source said there was growing frustration that the party was being outperformed in key parliamentary debates. The source said Manyi had become a focal point of that Responding to speculation about internal divisions, Ndhlela issued a statement on Tuesday urging supporters not to be alarmed by reports of leadership changes. 'MK party wants to state that, against the wishes of those who fear the power of the MK party and attempt to drive a wedge amongst our leadership, we remain united and steadfast in our mission to serve the people of South Africa,' the statement said. The party has not formally addressed the details of Manyi's dismissal or confirmed whether the decision forms part of a broader reshuffle. Manyi had not issued a public response by the time of publication. Makhubele expressed her gratitude to Hlophe and the caucus, assuring them that their trust was well placed. 'This moment is a testament to the progress we are making as a party that values the contributions and leadership of women. It is a moment that reminds us all that empowerment is not a privilege but a right, and I intend to lead with courage, authority, and an unwavering focus on the ideals we stand for,' she said.
