As South Africa celebrates 100 days of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the Black Business Council has highlighted seven important advances in the country that it believes have helped significantly to service delivery.
One significant example was the steady provision of energy in South Africa during the May 29 general elections, which many questioned given the country’s recent bouts of load shedding.
In June, the African National Congress (ANC) formed a GNU and invited various parties, including its competitor, the Democratic Alliance (DA).
In South Africa’s general elections on May 29, the ANC got its worst electoral showing since apartheid ended 30 years ago. The ANC received 40% of the vote and lost its absolute majority in Parliament.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, on the other hand, proceeded with caution and began his second term in the seventh government after his party formed the GNU, which also includes other smaller parties such as the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance.
In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Kganki Matabane, CEO of the Black Business Council, stated that many South Africans do not expect a consistent supply of energy following the May elections.
“So far it has been a mixed bag. Starting with the president, I think he has done a very sterling job in terms of bringing different people from different parties and elect them into an executive, a government,” he said.
“You can imagine that those types of discussions could not have been much easier because of where the parties were during the campaign. We want to say the president has done a very good job in making sure that we at least have a government,” Matabane said.
“When we look at the 100 days, there a few shining lights, starting with for example the Minister of Electricity (and Energy),” he said.
“We are now on day 200 and something with no load shedding and that basically before the elections we thought we were dreaming. Remember the doom-sayers were saying they are just keeping the electricity for elections.”
Matabane stated that Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has demonstrated that there were endemic engineering difficulties at Eskom, and that he is up to the role given his engineering experience and expertise.
Although the reliability of energy supply predates the founding of the GNU, Matabane emphasized that the political arrangement must take responsibility for the continuity that occurred during the seventh administration.
“You can say the GNU is doing is very well as far as that is concerned. Minister Parks Tau as well, he is one of those shining lights When he got there (at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition) he found a department with basically everyone acting,” Matabane said.
“People used to call it Hollywood, and the first thing that he did was to advertise all the positions to make sure that we have capacity.”
Matabane said the DTIC is such a critical component of the government and could not have been sufficiently run with staff on an acting mandate.
He also singled the Department of Home Affairs under the leadership of DA’s, Dr Leon Schreiber.
“They have been able to do a lot of work in terms of the backlog … a lot of business people had been frustrated with how long it takes to get a work visa for experts. There is that movement,” said Matabane.
He also applauded the energetic Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie.
“He admits that he is very, very happy. He is doing very well I think. One thing that I think he wants to do is to bring the Formula 1 to South Africa and that will bring a lot of visitors to South Africa and bring a lot of business into the country,” Matabane said.
“So far, the other ministers are still finding their feet and I think so far I things are going well. I think the complicated, sophisticated economy is doing well, the rand is doing well and the JSE is doing well. What needs to then happen is to convert this Rama-phoria or the GNU sentiment won’t fizzle out and will be utilised to do the real things that needs to be done.”
He stated that the GNU and all officials are faced with the monumental challenge of decreasing unemployment, growing the South African economy, and addressing endemic inequality.
The GOOD party, led by Patricia de Lille, was assigned the tourism department; the Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), led by Mzwanele Nyhontso, was assigned the department of land reform and rural development; and the Freedom Front Plus, led by Dr Pieter Groenewald, was appointed Minister of Correctional Services.