By MICHAEL BAGRAIM, Member of Parliament, Deputy Shadow Minister for Employment and Labour
Many of us will recall the euphoria of Mandela’s Government of National Unity. Soon, we had a forward-thinking constitution with a world-renowned president, enabling South Africa to become the darling of the world, rescued from the pits of obscurity. The early heady days of our democracy could be called a miracle, with the whole world wanting to invest and become our friend.
That unity government soon fell apart and shortly thereafter President Mandela signed the arms deal. It was at that point that my euphoria started to wane very rapidly.
Shortly thereafter, President Mandela, by keeping his legacy intact despite the arms deal, handed over to a series of successors who have systematically destroyed our economy and with it most service delivery. By the end of 2023 many had given up hope and we were looking more and more like Zimbabwe.
Despite the lack of service delivery, the majority of the country still did not want to vote in their own interest. Yes, the ANC had ejected those who joined the EFF and more recently those that joined the MK.
Despite the successes shown in the Western Province and despite all rational arguments, the Democratic Alliance with its partners in the moonshot pact have been unable to reach the golden number of 50% plus 1. At a rather telling meeting at a synagogue in Johannesburg, I joined a panel of party representatives speaking to a full house of members of our community. It was at that meeting that I rather sadly predicted that the moonshot pact would probably not get the 50%, and that the 2nd worst option would be for the Democratic Alliance to look to the ANC for some sort of agreement. This concept was roundly condemned by the audience including the spokespeople for the other political parties present. A vociferous Mike Beaumont declared that his political party would never under any circumstances do a deal with the ANC.
History tells us vastly differently. I explained that, if the Democratic Alliance, which is the second largest party emerging after the election, did not do a deal with the ANC, we were forcing them into an unholy alliance which would have destroyed the country. This fear of destruction is probably still the biggest factor keeping the GNU intact – and thankfully it’s working. No one can say it’s perfect and no one can predict its permanency; however, despite various teething problems, we have seen almost six months of enormous success.
At the 100-day mark, business confidence surged to a four-month high after the GNU formation. Following on that the Rand hit the best levels in over a year. To top that, GNU re-ignited hope and optimism across South Africa. IOL, Bloomberg, News24, Financial Times and Bloomberg again kept extolling the virtues of the GNU. There have been signs of stability in South Africa’s Unity Government which has boosted business confidence across the board. And so, to quote Bloomberg, “South Africa goes from Zero to Hero”. The message the DA has sent out to the world is that we are committed to building lasting confidence in our nation’s future. Despite teething problems and many difficulties, I, with my party, have great confidence.
Yes, many people within the various political parties making up the GNU have their doubts. Many from within displayed actions trying to break the GNU, despite the knowledge that the GNU has been good for our country.
It should be said that this ‘wildebeest’ – the GNU – is not an easy animal to ride. There will be many instances in the near future which will shake the foundations of the GNU. It is up to all of us sitting in the Parliamentary benches to try and keep this ‘wildebeest’ on a growth path.
I have found the interaction in Parliament and in particular through the Portfolio Committee of Employment and Labour to be completely different from the past 10 years I have sat in Parliament. This difference is like a breath of fresh air. Many things in my portfolio are changing for the good of South Africa. Our differences have to be put aside to keep us growing. We still have a long road to travel to stabilise our economy and create jobs. We still have 11.5 million people who want to join the ranks of the employed. But at least we are starting to see a rosy future.
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