Patriotic Alliance threatens to quit GNU over Kenny Kunene

Patriotic Alliance threatens to quit GNU over Kenny Kunene

Zuko Komisa

• The Patriotic Alliance threatens to withdraw from the Government of National Unity and other coalitions with the ANC due to a dispute over the reinstatement of Kenny Kunene.
• The demand follows Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero’s failure to reinstate Kunene, who was suspended after being found at a murder suspect’s home but has since been cleared of wrongdoing.
• PA leader Gayton McKenzie’s ultimatum, delivered via a public Facebook Live, highlights the fragility of the new GNU and could have significant implications for South Africa’s political stability.

The political landscape of South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) has been shaken by a dramatic ultimatum from the Patriotic Alliance (PA).

The party’s leader, Gayton McKenzie, has issued a stark warning, threatening to pull his party out of all coalitions with the African National Congress (ANC), including the newly formed GNU, if Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero fails to immediately reinstate PA Deputy President Kenny Kunene to his post as Mayoral Committee Member for Transport.

The PA, which holds a small but crucial number of seats in the National Assembly, was one of the first parties to join the GNU, a historic coalition agreement formed after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in 30 years.

The controversy stems from Kunene’s recent suspension.

The PA politician was found at the home of murder suspect Katiso ‘KT’ Molefe, who faces charges in connection with the 2022 murder of musician Oupa ‘DJ Sumbody’ Sefoka. South African Police Service officers had raided the property in July to arrest Molefe, leading to Kunene’s presence at the scene becoming a point of contention.