KZN GPU under strain: ANC warns against ‘weaponising’ positions as coalition cracks emerge

ANC provincial co-ordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu says the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal remains firmly committed to the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), despite tensions between coalition partners, and is calling for renewed cooperation, discipline, and the formalisation of key structures to ensure the province continues to function effectively.

Speaking at a media briefing held at the ANC KZN provincial office in Durban on Wednesday, Mabuyakhulu made it clear that while the ANC views the GPU as a “tactical site of struggle”, it remains a space of cooperation, even as it involves competing political interests.

Mabuyakhulu's remarks came shortly after The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Provincial Treasury - led by the DA's Francoi Rogers -  announced that it had taken over the finances of the provincial Education Department’s finances which had overspent its budget by March this year

The GPU was formed following the 2024 general elections, which resulted in no single party winning an outright majority in KwaZulu-Natal. The coalition, made up of four political parties including the ANC, was created to ensure stable governance and to prevent political deadlock in the province.

“We are in the GPU with those whom we should cooperate. But on the one hand, we are also competitors in the political game. So the ANC leadership understands,” Mabuyakhulu said.

He emphasised that the ANC is participating in the GPU not for political expediency, but “because we have the greater interest of our people” and “we want to see stability in these problems”.

Mabuyakhulu highlighted that the coalition’s purpose is to serve the people of KwaZulu-Natal with “decency” and ensure efficient service delivery, and he called on all four parties in the GPU to reaffirm their commitment to this “overarching interest”.

“It is to be expected that at times there will be a divergence of views. And there is nothing to write home about that,” he said, adding that such disagreements should be resolved through the formal structures of the GPU.

He identified three key structures necessary for the proper functioning of the coalition: the Daily Management Committee, which he said must begin operating more consistently to address issues on a day-to-day basis; the Political Oversight Council, which guides the coalition’s broader management and strategy; and a strengthened dispute resolution mechanism to deal with “grey areas that arise from time to time”.

Mabuyakhulu was also firm in warning coalition partners against using positions of power within the GPU to undermine one another.

“Hence, therefore, it will not be acceptable, please, to have any of the MECs who would weaponise a position that they occupy because of the ANC, as well, amongst others,” he said.

“None amongst our partners in the GPU can use the GPU against one another and weaponise the position they hold.”

This comes after a video circulated on social media,  showing KZN Finance MEC Francois Rodgers, speaking in Kokstad, stating that he is no longer bound by political directives and now operates independently. He asserted his powers under the Public Finance Management Act to place departments under Treasury administration, adding that Education was already under administration and Transport could be next.

Despite the tensions, Mabuyakhulu made it clear that the ANC is not reconsidering its involvement in the GPU.

“This does not mean that the ANC is second-guessing its position in the GPU. Our position is very firm as the ANC, and it's the position that we are in the GPU with the other parties, and we are paying respect to those parties,” he said.

He called for an urgent meeting of the GPU partners to refine areas of conflict and strengthen the unity needed to govern effectively.

hope.ntanzi@iol.co.za

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