GNU is built on sand

NO SOLID FRAMEWORK: CLASHES WILL CONTINUE, EXPERTS SAY

- Eric Mthobeli Naki

The ongoing policy disputes within the government of national unity (GNU) are likely to persist because it was built on an unstable foundation, experts say.

Independent political analyst Sandile Swana said the GNU was not designed for the political parties that make up the coalition to reach agreements, as it lacked a solid framework.

The GNU was established in response to the outcomes of the May 2024 elections and the politicians involved should have negotiated a common programme of action for the next five years.

But they failed to do so.

"They wasted time between June 2024 and February this year without actually agreeing on a commonly agreed-upon fiscal framework; hence, the national budget could not be adopted," said Swana.

"The first problem is that they didn't have a credible process to agree on the fiscal framework. They negotiated on all sorts of other things, but not the framework.

"So, whatever other ideas you may have, they are not going to fly if they are not encapsulated in the framework."