It appears that no one is feeling the heat over the ANC’s poor showing at the polls last month than Vice President Paul Mashatile. His position currently hands in the balance amid the rumble over a Government of National Unity (GNU).
The May 29 elections across South Africa saw the ruling African National Congress (ANC) not only lose its appeal among voters but suffer a humiliating decline in votes from the public, with no clear-cut majority for the party.
As a result of this lack of a clear-cut majority, the ANC has to form a national unity government with other political parties, including the Democratic Alliance, which is seen as the second biggest party in South Africa.
Things are not as simple as they might appear in conversation, however, as the DA is allegedly making a couple of ambitious demands, including the deputy president position, which puts Paul Mashatile in a difficult position as the current deputy president.
Mashatile had held the deputy president position both in the ANC and South Africa as a country since 2022 following the exit of then-deputy president David Mabuza.
With the DA gunning for Mashatile’s post and President Ramaphosa yet to announce his new cabinet, expectations are high, with Mashatile’s fate still undecided. Time will tell.
