ANC NEC backs GNU, but opens door to outside support

After a bruising Budget crisis that nearly brought Parliament to a standstill, the ANC’s highest decision-making body, the National Executive Committee (NEC), has resolved to engage with political parties outside the Government of National Unity (GNU) to stabilise governance and push for key reforms.

The decision comes as the GNU, now more than a year old, continues to face multiple challenges and remains fragile in parts. Its biggest test was the failure to pass the national Budget — not once, but twice, marking an unprecedented moment in South Africa’s democratic history.

Closing the NEC’s four-day meeting in Germiston, ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa said the committee had received a detailed report on the GNU and held robust discussions, ultimately acknowledging the growing fragility of the governing arrangement.

“The Budget process has taught us many lessons, including being able to build tactical and issue-based voting alliances with other parties. We welcome the cooperation on the Budget, including with parties that are not part of the Government of National Unity,” said Ramaphosa.

Read more: ‘GNU in 99% agreement’ says ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli, Budget set to pass

The Budget was eventually passed with support from parties outside the formal GNU arrangement, including ActionSA and Build One South Africa, a development that Ramaphosa described as “a real demonstration of acting in the interests of the people of South Africa”.

“We are grateful to all those parties that cooperated with us to have the Budget passed. The overall picture is that despite all the noise through the GNU we have been able to safeguard the core progressive policy agenda of the National Democratic Revolution, which is the core pillar of ANC policy,” said Ramaphosa.

Beyond the Budget deadlock, the GNU has confronted significant challenges, including disagreements over land expropriation without compensation and pushback against the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act. Both cases sparked fierce opposition and court battles led by the Democratic Alliance, the second-largest party in the GNU.

“We have extensively discussed how we proceed with respect to the Government of National Unity, given our analysis and practical experience of the past 12 months. Accordingly, the National Executive Committee considered a number of options about how to strengthen the GNU and improve its effectiveness and stability to give full and proper effect to the Statement of Intent that was signed by the parties that are party to the GNU, as well as the three strategic priorities of the seventh administration,” said Ramaphosa.

As part of this, Ramaphosa said the NEC had agreed to engage with parties that were willing to play a “constructive role in furthering national unity and stability” so it could achieve three strategic priorities: driving inclusive growth and job creation, reducing poverty and tackling the high cost of living and building a capable developmental state.

Despite the challenges faced by the GNU, said Ramaphosa, the NEC had concluded that the decision to establish it was correct.

“Our people appreciate that it has brought stability and enabled progress in addressing their challenges. The NEC reaffirms the view that the GNU is a correct tactic and remains valid.”

Ramaphosa pointed to increasing pressure from “global and domestic right-wing forces”, but stressed that the ANC had not abandoned its democratic or developmental agenda.

“Through access to state power in the GNU we have been able to defend the democratic gains and to advance our transformation agenda, despite the pressure and resistance from the global and domestic right-wing forces. We have not retreated from the progressive domestic and foreign policy positions of our movement.”

Local elections

During the 2021 local government elections, the ANC lost control of several key metropolitan municipalities. Of the eight metros nationwide, the party won an outright majority in just two: Mangaung and Buffalo City.

Now, with the 2026 local elections looming, Ramaphosa said, “The marching order to all ANC-run municipalities and ward councillors is that we cannot proceed as if it continues to be business as usual. We need to undertake extraordinary measures to address challenges at local government level.”

In a week or two, the NEC will hold a special session to focus more attention on the challenges in local government.

SACP

Another contentious issue in the discussions was the SA Communist Party’s (SACP’s) decision to contest the elections independently of the ANC, about which Ramaphosa expressed serious concern.

Two weeks ago, the SACP, running separately from the ANC for the first time in the province, garnered only 70 votes in a by-election in a Polokwane ward, representing just 1%.

“We have no wish, nor do we have any intention, to interfere with the decision of the South African Communist Party. However, as we have indicated, we disagree with the decision,” said Ramaphosa.

“We believe that this decision has fundamental implications for the strategy and programme of the National Democratic Revolution … while the alliance between the SACP and the ANC has spanned the better part of a century. This is not about the past. It is not about nostalgia.”

The NEC believes the SACP’s decision will significantly weaken the forces for national democratic change.

“We will continue to seek to engage with the SACP on how we will run those elections. We will go out from this meeting to explain our position to our structures at every level of our organisation, so that comrades, members of the ANC, are empowered to explain the challenge this poses to our transformation agenda,” said Ramaphosa.

Although the NEC is opposed to the SACP contesting elections, Ramaphosa stressed the need for unity within the broader alliance.

“We are determined to ensure that these developments do not divide our movement or cause instability. We reiterate that the SACP members who hold ANC membership are full members of our movement with the same rights and duties as any other ANC member, rights and responsibilities that are clearly stated in our constitution,” said Ramaphosa.

However, how this stance will be implemented in practice remains uncertain, particularly in light of Ramaphosa’s recent appointment of SACP member Buti Manamela as the minister of higher education, science and technology. DM