Silencing GNU dissidents a litmus test for Ramaphosa's leadership

THE Government of National Unity will soon convene a cabinet lekgotla at a decisive juncture in South Africa’s political and economic trajectory.

- ZAMIKHAYA MASETI

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa and his Deputy Paul Mashatile at the Government of National Unity's cabinet lekgotla held at the Sefako Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria on September 30, 2025. The cabinet lekgotla must choose coherence over contestation, delivery over declaration, and collective responsibility over tactical positioning, says the writer.

(I GCIS)

This moment is not defined by routine governance cycles, but by the convergence of domestic structural strain and an increasingly unstable global environment.

The lekgotla, therefore, assumes significance as a strategic forum where the state must demonstrate clarity of purpose, coherence of action and a capacity to align political authority with material outcomes.

Accordingly, the cabinet lekgotla must be approached as a moment of state consolidation within a complex coalition architecture. The presence of multiple political formations within the executive elevates the demand for discipline, coordination and a shared understanding of the developmental mandate of the state.

The lekgotla will take place within the context of bubbling geopolitical tension, following the humiliating abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and the subsequent escalation in the seizure of Russian-flagged and Venezuela-linked oil tankers by the US.

These developments have intensified uncertainty in global energy markets and sharpened strategic rivalry among major powers.

Within this volatile environment, GNU partners must resist at all costs the temptation to heighten internal tensions ahead of the 2026 National Local Government Elections.

The GNU should not become a site of political contestation, bickering, elbowing or hoodwinking, nor should any partner seek to set the electoral stage from within the executive.