WATCH | 'EFF is being disingenuous': Thuli Madonsela on GNU talks

Former public protector Thuli Madonsela says the EFF is being “disingenuous” on their stance against government of national unity (GNU) by rejecting the formation because it does not want to work with the DA.

EFF rejected the GNU formation, with the party's deputy president Floyd Shivambu saying they did not want to be a part of it because the DA would be included. The DA during the election campaign declared EFF “enemy No 1”.

“We are not going to form any part of government with the DA. We are not going to sit alongside the DA and FF Plus in government as the EFF. We are not desperate for positions in government and we are not going to compromise on that,” Shivambu said.

Speaking on Newzroom Afrika this week, Madonsela was not convinced by the DA-EFF tussle, saying the two parties previously worked together in municipal councils. The EFF and DA previously had an informal partnership in the City of Tshwane council.

“The EFF is just being disingenuous. It has been working with the DA in various coalitions,” she said.

She said though the DA and EFF have differences, both opposition parties share similarities of wanting a change in governance. 

“It's just a question of differences on what part of the constitution wants to be changed by the DA and what part wants to be changed by the EFF,” Madonsela said.

Madonsela commended the EFF for setting their demands straight regarding changing the constitution should the ANC want to work with them.

Aside from DA, EFF and MK Party, other smaller parties should be given a chance to participate in the GNU, she said.

“Modern democracy is participatory and so is representative democracy. It makes sense to give more voice or more power to those with higher representation numbers. If the ANC has not contacted the smaller parties, nothing stops them from contacting the ANC and saying 'we want to talk'.”

The ANC received the most votes in the recent elections, 40.18% of the total. Madonsela urged political parties to put the interests of South Africans forward as expressed in the votes.

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