How the DA & IFP can survive a Mugabe-style GNU

David Coltart, a former minister in Robert Mugabe's Government of National Unity (GNU), shares some of the hard lessons learned in Zimbabwe where Zanu-PF used the GNU to hollow out the opposition and become stronger than ever. “.. applying that to South Africa, the DA, the IFP,  they need to demonstrate some savvy. It's a balance. Obviously, they've got to deliver effectively on their own ministry so that they can demonstrate to the electorate in South Africa that they are competent and inspire confidence. And that needs to be their dominant responsibility. But they must not ever do that at the cost of allowing the ANC to consolidate their power in the areas of civic bodies, universities, the judiciary and critically, the media”. Coltart doesn’t see former President Jacob Zuma's MKP as a major threat to the GNU as long as the GNU works and delivers to the South African people. “But if the DA, the IFP laps into this notion that they hold these positions as of right and they don't have to deliver, then they will become very vulnerable to the populism of MK and the EFF to a lesser extent,” he warns.

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