It appears that the “politics of consensus” is going to be very costly for South Africa and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is going to benefit from it.

This was the opinion political analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga shared with delegates on Thursday, in Johannesburg, at a Bureau for Economic Research briefing, which focussed on post-election policy and the macroeconomic outlook.

“It appears that this politics of consensus is going to be very costly - the EFF is very clear, whether or not you agree with them, they will inflict damage whenever the ANC [African National Congress] agrees with the DA [Democratic Alliance],” Mathekga explained.

It was concerning, he said, that political parties with strong electoral backing were not using this support to resist attempts to push them away from “centre politics”.

He explained that, since 2014, the ANC, DA and EFF have not been appreciative of the politics of the centre, or what he calls the “politics of compromises”.

“Before 2014 the ANC was always clear about its policies. There was never a doubt around nationalisation. The ANC was quite moderate and was a party operating at the centre. The DA, also near the centre, was running a few municipalities demonstrating [what would happen] if they get to national government, showing us the type of principles they believed in as a political party. I would say both parties have constituted the whole centre of South African party politics,” he said.

He said as South Africans we only looked to the ANC, but there was an energy outside the party in the form of the DA, EFF and other opposition parties.   

Mathekga reminded delegates that after the National Development Plan was released, the DA said it had come the closest it had ever to a consensus with the ANC.

However, the DA was now taking government to task over National Health Insurance (NHI).

He said the DA and ANC had decided to no longer collaborate and added that it was this confrontation that was causing political uncertainty.

“It takes longer to take decisions in an uncertain environment. Just about everything is politicised. Nothing enjoys that overriding consensus. Before the 2014 elections, the DA and the ruling party were enjoying a very certain relationship. Even when they were cross with each other, they went to court but they never jumped on the table or even interrupted each other in Parliament.  It was an amicable relationship,” Mathekga pointed out. 

He said when the EFF entered the political space and began questioning policies, such as land reform, the ANC changed its position.

Mathekga said South Africans seemed mistakenly to associate radical populism with leftist politics. He said that radical right wing politics, rather, was underway in the country and added that the DA was also struggling to understand where it fitted in.

“I can assure you that the opposition style that the DA has taken is radical. Their first reaction towards the NHI was not to ask to have a conversation with the ANC but [to say] they are going to court. This is a conversation amongst South African political parties. When they differ on policies, the first point of interaction is not a discussion,” he pointed out.  

Mathekga questioned why South Africans were no longer interested in engaging in discussion to find each other.

“If the DA agrees with the ANC, some members of the DA resign. You have lost who you are.”