South Africa’s Political Marriage Of Convenience Avoids Divorce 

South Africa’s two biggest political parties are in an unhappy marriage, but neither side wants to file divorce papers as it could damage them and, ultimately, their offspring – South African voters.

But as the children of all toxic relationships know, it can be painful to watch the tantrums played out in public as each side tries to prove they are the better parent.

The loveless union in this case is what is called the Government of National Unity (GNU) – which was formed in the wake of elections last year when the African National Congress (ANC), the party that brought in democratic rule in 1994 with Nelson Mandela, lost its parliamentary majority.

Its arch rival, the pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) party, agreed to join the ANC as its biggest partner in a coalition, which has just celebrated its first year anniversary. There was no popping of champagne – there have only been cross words.

But the two leaders, President Cyril Ramaphosa of the ANC and John Steenhuisen of the DA, have shown how their partnership can ideally work when they supported each other in the Oval Office showdown with US President Donald Trump in May.

After Trump confronted the delegation with a video in support of discredited claims of a white genocide in South Africa, it was Steenhuisen – the agriculture minister in Ramaphosa’s cabinet – who assured the US president that the majority of white farmers wanted to stay in the country.

Their performance proved to South Africans the GNU was worth the bickering at home.

Together the unlikely pair hold the political middle ground in South Africa and have the potential to be a stabilising force – this is certainly the opinion of big business.

Their alliance initially raised some eyebrows, given that that they were opposed “ideologically [and] historically”, but the business community largely welcomed the move, political analyst Dr Levy Ndou told the BBC.

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