Deputy President Paul Mashatile has admitted that South Africa's government of national unity (GNU) faces considerable challenges, with contentious issues such as the Basic Education Laws Amendment (Bela) Bill and the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill putting its coalition partners to the test.
Speaking to City Press, Mashatile described the GNU as a delicate balancing act, requiring continuous compromise and dialogue to navigate its 10-party coalition.
Despite these pressures, he defended President Cyril Ramaphosa's approach so far, particularly the decision to prioritise consensus over expedience.
Said Mashatile:
Differences will always emerge, but what matters is how we manage them.
The Bela Bill has emerged as a key point of contention within the GNU, particularly over its language policy, which has ignited heated debates. With the deadline to finalise the bill approaching, he acknowledged that language remained a "burning issue".
The bill seeks to amend the SA Schools Act and the Employment of Educators Act. It has faced widespread criticism, particularly over clauses 4 and 5, which propose that a school governing body must submit its language and admissions policy to the provincial head of department for approval.
READ | Bela Bill battle is not about race, John Steenhuisen insists
Although Ramaphosa signed the bill into law, he delayed the implementation of these controversial clauses for three months to allow for further deliberation and the crafting of proposals to address concerns.
Chaired by Mashatile, the GNU Clearing House serves as a consensus-building mechanism introduced by Ramaphosa to address contentious issues threatening unity within the GNU. This mechanism seeks to resolve fundamental policy disagreements among the coalition's partners.
The team includes Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Andries Nel, Cornelius Mulder of the Freedom Front Plus, Brett Herron from Good, Helen Zille from the DA and Mdumiseni Ntuli from the ANC.
Mashatile explained the root of the controversy.
"There are some parties that feel that if more than two languages are introduced to an institution like a school, college or university, that could make English dominant and other languages basically nonexistent. It's a fear that we accept. However, in reality, the Constitution states that we need to promote all languages in South Africa, including sign language, and we want to do that."
Nevertheless, certain communities remain apprehensive.
"There are communities who still want to keep their own language exclusively because they fear that bringing in others may dominate their language, causing it to disappear," he said.
We're trying to deal with that fear to show that's not what the bill is propagating. On the contrary: the bill wants all languages to be promoted. That's what we're debating and we're confident that we'll find consensus.
Mashatile noted that some within the ANC felt the bill should have been signed and implemented without delay.
ANC members had argued that there was no need for the GNU to debate the act. However, Mashatile said that Ramaphosa had chosen to listen to concerns about clauses 4 and 5, leading to the establishment of the clearing house.
He said that it was now also agreed that there was no need to amend the bill.
This despite Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube arguing that the bill should be returned to Parliament for review, after she snubbed its official signing by Ramaphosa in September.
Mashatile revealed that a working group of five had been appointed to review the process and draft an approach to accommodate differing views.
"The clearing house will receive a report from the working group of five next week, when we get to Parliament in Cape Town. We'll then see how far it's gone in terms of finding consensus. Then we'll report to the leaders, who'll decide the way forward," he said.
Regarding the NHI Bill, Mashatile highlighted ongoing Cabinet negotiations to resolve differences that had stalled its implementation. While the bill had been signed, reservations from some parties had caused a deadlock.
READ | DA wins first battle over NHI with implementation postponement order
"The matter isn't with the clearing house at the moment," he said. "Cabinet agreed that the health minister would brief us on what the issues were. Should there be a need for certain aspects of the NHI to be addressed by the clearing house, that will be done."
He noted that, while there might not be significant differences between coalition partners, it was vital to identify and carefully consider any remaining concerns.
The DA has objected to the NHI Bill, while the IFP has objected to its funding model. Furthermore, the DA previously warned that, if Ramaphosa proceeded to sign both the Bela and NHI bills, it could "threaten the stability of the GNU" and ultimately lead to that party pulling out.
Mashatile, however, maintained that if the DA or any other party left the GNU, it would adjust and ensure governance without interruption.
I always tell those who ask me what would happen if the DA pulled out that the GNU would continue. We'd simply invite others wanting to join it. This isn't only about the ANC and the DA.
While some have suggested that the DA is a challenging partner within the GNU, Mashatile offered a pragmatic perspective.
"The ANC is a big party; it's the dominant party. The DA, coming from being the official opposition, is also significant. However, the president's approach is that all 10 parties are in this together," he said.
Mashatile refuted claims that the ANC favoured the DA in coalition decision-making, pointing out that the GNU operated on principles of equality.
He expressed confidence in the commitment of parties within the GNU, noting their shared determination to ensure its success, despite the inherent challenges.
"We know that the issues we're dealing with may create stumbling blocks, but I think what unites us more is that we know there are others who want us to fail," he said.
INTEGRITY COMMISSION APPEARANCE
Addressing allegations of misconduct, Mashatile clarified his appearance before the ANC's Integrity Commission.
City Press previously reported that he had been "summoned" to appear before the commission, which is chaired by veteran Reverend Frank Chikane, at its Houghton offices earlier this month. This followed a string of allegations implicating Mashatile in misconduct, which insiders claimed had negatively affected his public image.
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However, he said that he had appeared before the commission voluntarily.
He said that the parliamentary ethics committee had written to him for clarification regarding various allegations.
"I responded to the ethics committee, but, in addition, I decided to go to the integrity commission and tell them: ‘This is what all these issues are about.'
"The commission didn't summon me. I said I wanted to appear there to explain what was happening and they appreciated that. So far, we're done," he said.
