The few remaining opposition parties in parliament claim that the Government of National Unity (GNU) has not weakened opposition politics in the country.
At least ten parties joined the ANC in the newly formed GNU.
So far, only the EFF, the MK Party and ActionSA have openly rejected the GNU invitation.
Eleven of the 18 parties in parliament are members of the GNU, which together will account for more than 70% of the votes in the 2024 elections. Opponents of the GNU have been reluctant to join, fearing it would weaken the opposition.
However, the EFF has promised to take opposition politics to a new level in the Seventh Democratic Congress.
“With the EFF in parliament, opposition politics remain as strong as ever. We will relentlessly hold the administration to account and aggressively pursue justice for the crimes that occurred.” [President]”Cyril Ramaphosa's Palapala Farm. We stand ready to take on the white supremacist DA and furthermore are committed to preventing the rollback of change caused by the appointment of white supremacist ministers by the so-called GNU,” says EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathis.
Meanwhile, ActionSA has vowed to use its opposition status to insist on accountability.
“We will go above and beyond our means. South Africa has a history of opposition parties fighting corruption that operates on a much larger scale than real life. We will work with other parties to ensure that the voice of six MPs feels like the voice of 60 MPs. We will be the tip of the spear of accountability in the South African Parliament and we will do so unapologetically,” said ActionSA national chair Michael Beaumont.
The MK party shares similar views and argues that the ANC can only survive by working with left-wing parties.
“What we want to say is that in the near future we will continue to put pressure on them and hold them to account for implementation and execution. But they will not be able to do that because they will argue about policy and who will win? Us, the next government. And the only way we will get our country back is if the ANC wakes up from their slumber behind this right-wing alliance that they are forming now and starts working with progressive parties like MK and the EFF without Cyril Ramaphosa,” says MK party spokesperson Nhlamhulho Ndlela.
Political observers say the former political opponents joining forces in GNU is simply a political realignment.
“The fact that around 10 parties have joined the ANC in power does not necessarily mean that opposition politics has weakened. What is happening is simply a reshuffling and if you look at opposition politics, you should place your hope and faith in parties like the EFF, ActionSA and MK Party, which are the parties that can fill the void left by the DA and will sound the alarm, mount campaigns and turn to the media if they want to hold those in power to account,” says political analyst Dr Tshepang Molale.
As the GNU parties get going, many believe the next five years will redefine politics in the country, for better or worse.