Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

This country will not have a Government of National Unity (GNU). What it will have is a coalition between the ANC, DA and IFP (and perhaps some smaller parties) which will be dressed up as a GNU. It will have this not because, as the politicians will no doubt claim, it  is the best coalition to take the country forward but because it was the only one that had any prospect of governing for more than a few weeks.

That is the view of my weekly Against the Tide column sent to subscribers this morning. To subscribe, please visit the Against the Tide website. To discuss a free or reduced subscription, contact info@againstthetide.co.za

Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.