President of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru), Thulani Ngwenya, in an alarming characterisation of South Africa’s ruling coalition has described the Government of National Unity (GNU) as a “forced marriage” fraught with constant disputes between its partners. The GNU is indeed a marriage; a marriage of convenience which in some ways could be forced by nature. Ngwenya’s remarks follow a significant protest in the Administrative Capital Tshwane organized by the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), and the lobby civil society group AfriForum against the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act.
On a day that saw various political factions come together, the DA, FF Plus, and AfriForum marched from the Voortrekker Monument to Freedom Park, where they delivered a memorandum voicing their collective dissent. Notably, the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, also joined the protest, prompting widespread concern over the current political alignment within the GNU. As Ngwenya addressed over 400 Popcru members during the union’s four-day Central Committee meeting held at Birchwood Hotel, he stressed the urgent need for discussions to combat the effects of recent austerity measures and budget cuts. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Mid-Term Budget Statement revealed a slashing of the police budget for the 2024/2025 financial year from R124.5 billion to R113.6 billion, a staggering decline of 9% that raises critical questions about the government’s commitment to public safety.
This march in Tshwane (Pretoria) by the DA, FF Plus, Afriforum and even the Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton Mckenzie, exposes the cracks that have streaked across the ruling coalition, that was formed by President Cyril Ramaphosa between April and July. It was created to bring dissenting voices together to find common ground. Although it succeeded in bringing together the dissenting voices, it did not lead to them finding common ground. The Basic Education Law Amendment act (BELA) was unilaterally drafted by Ramaphosa and his ANC loyalists. The coalition members were not consulted as to how BELA should be worded. It did give to much power to the national government, particularly the basic education department in setting the policy for basic education. For police unions like Popcru the reduction in government spending for public safety casts a shadow over Pretoria’s concerns for public security.
While the correctional services budget saw a slight increase — from R27.2 billion to R27.8 billion — Ngwenya pointed out that this 2.18% hike pales in comparison to the current inflation rates, further endangering the effectiveness of South Africa’s penal system. “The GNU is like a forced marriage that no one wanted, where the husband and wife are constantly at odds over numerous disagreements. This household is in turmoil,” Ngwenya remarked. He elaborated on how discrepancies among members have weakened the government’s approach to crucial issues, such as foreign policy, noting that statements made by DA leaders contradicted the president’s commitments to combat gender-based violence.
The increase in state spending on prisons and related services which are under the correctional services tutelage is a drop in the bucket when it comes to the amount of inflation faced by the country’s households. This limited hike in terms of spending and enforced austerity measures will do far less to compliment prison wardens and their staffs for their everyday needs. This could prove to be a recipe for disaster unless the president, cabinet ministers, and Members of Parliament need to cut back on their own wages and expenses. Meanwhile the DA is only embarrassing itself on the matter of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) when it should be supporting President Ramaphosa on the issue. No one is perfect but the coalition partners of the GNU should all oppose the effects of domestic abuse.
Nehawu also took aim at the DA, a key party within the GNU, accusing it of pushing back against social reforms which were aimed at improving the lives of the working class. The union criticised the DA’s opposition to clauses in the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Act, the National Health Insurance (NHI) initiative, as well as its stance on the proposed Universal Basic Grant. “The formation of the GNU has emboldened the DA with its neoliberal agenda in seeking to reverse the gains of our people,” Nehawu stated. In addition to opposing austerity, the union called on the National Treasury to refrain from intervening in the collective bargaining process for public sector workers. “Any pronouncements on the salaries, retirement arrangements, etc. are merely hot air as long as they have not been presented at the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council [PSCBC],” said Nehawu.
The DA being a junior partner in the coalition needs to be diplomatic about what it can achieve. The DA has a more neo-liberal and centrist political platform while the ANC which holds the lion’s share of seats in parliament tends to rely on the support of unions’ voters. In a time of high inflation, it is not an easy task to be a worker in the public sector. In terms of the economy the government has to grow the private sector, possibly find ways to make it self- sufficient but it also has to tax it to support the public sector under its care. In times when everyone wants a piece of the national pie that is the economy patience needs to be enforced. That said government ministers should consider limiting the amount of money they spend publicly to set an example. This begins with the president before continuing down to MPs.
Excessive expenditure has been the downfall of the state many a time and it could be the same in South Africa. It will depend on what path Ramaphosa will take.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
