Understanding Democratic Principles and Government of National Unity

South Africa’s general election on 29 May 2024, in which the African National Congress (ANC) dropped from 57.5% of the vote in 2019 to a historic low of 40.2% resulted in the formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU). It is the second time that South Africa has a Government of National Unity. The first time was in 1994 with the first democratically elected government when the ANC won 62.6% of the vote. A Government of National Unity (GNU) was formed (in line with the Interim Constitution) and the IFP, NP and ANC were represented in Cabinet in proportion to the number of seats each political party won in the elections.

The formation of the GNU after the 2024 elections was necessary because none of the political parties who contested the elections won with an absolute majority. While the GNU was generally accepted nonetheless some voters did not understand the justification for a GNU and how it functions.

Therefore, KAS and the South African Council of Churches in Gauteng held workshops with community members in Tembisa, Thokoza, Palm Ridge, Eden Park, Sharpeville, Katlehong, Dobsonville, Orlando West, Vosloorus and Alexandra during February and March. The workshops focused on understanding democratic principles and the Government of National Unity, promoting active and informed citizenry, enhancing civic engagement and preparation for Local Government Elections 2026.

The participants were community members, community leaders and church ministers from different denominations. The top 3 issues highlighted in all workshops are unemployment, crime, poor service delivery.

In general, participants are despondent about the promises of democracy. They don’t see the value of the GNU. They are disappointed and many are no longer interested to vote. According to the report on Voter Fluidity in the 2024 National Elections by Prof Carin Runciman and Prof Marcel Paret  in 2024, 41.6% of the registered voter population chose not to vote. This is an increase of 7.6 percentage points from the 2019 national elections, when 34.0% chose not to participate despite being registered to do so.