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Today marks one year since the Government of National Unity was formed, a bold and necessary step towards restoring stability and collaboration in a fractured political landscape. For the first time, the official opposition, most notably the DA, has found itself not across the aisle, but at the table. This has placed them in uncharted waters, balancing critique with cooperation. It is a tightrope that GOOD has walked before. When our leader, Patricia de Lille, entered Cabinet in 2019.

Being part of a unity government means more than sharing power. It means sharing purpose. You cannot govern through press releases. You cannot deliver justice or services with one foot in and one foot out. The real work lies not in merely critiquing policies, but in shaping, implementing, and owning them.

GOOD joined the GNU not in pursuit of positions, but to advocate for justice - social, economic, spatial, and environmental. And to push for urgent and equitable reform in the face of an escalating national crisis. A year later, we reflect with both pride and concern. Pride in having kept the centre from collapsing. Concern because key elements of the GNU’s founding agreement remain unmet.

The Statement of Intent committed the parties to an agreed policy agenda, to be developed at a joint GNU Lekgotla. That Lekgotla never materialised. Instead, the Cabinet developed its Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) in isolation without the inclusive strategic session that was meant to shape it. This is more than an administrative oversight. It is a missed opportunity to forge real consensus, to root our policy agenda in the shared vision that brought the GNU into being. Without a common strategy, the GNU risks becoming a fragmented management structure, rather than a unified engine for change.

Three parties to the GNU Statement of Intent remain excluded from Cabinet, and one is excluded from even the extended Cabinet structure of deputy ministers. If the GNU is to work, its spirit must match its signature - collaborative, inclusive, and united in action.

The long-delayed National Dialogue, now set to begin with a National Convention in August, is a chance to course-correct. It must be more than symbolic. It must produce tangible outcomes. GOOS hopes to see outcomes that include a Basic Income Grant, spatial transformation, a capable state, and renewed economic inclusion.

GOOD remains committed to constructive participation in the GNU. But our support is not unconditional. We are here to serve people, not parties. Let the second year of the GNU be defined by implementation. The country cannot afford another year of political positioning. 

Issued by Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General