South Africa’s current Political Reality: The Government of National Unity (GNU) Today
Join us for an insightful discussion on the current state of South African politics!
Since the historic election of April 1994, when the African National Congress (ANC) rose to power under Nelson Mandela’s charismatic leadership, much has changed. In the recent May 2024 election, the ANC did not secure a majority for the first time. This led to the leaders of the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA) choosing a groundbreaking power-sharing agreement. By forming the Government of National Unity (GNU), the leaders hoped it would provide a more flexible form of governance than a formal coalition and allow for independent political identities.
In an informal, armchair-style conversation, our speakers will delve into how this unique political arrangement is shaping the nation’s future, giving you a deeper understanding of South Africa’s evolving political landscape.
Date: December 12th, 2024 / Time: 12pm – 1:30pm
Speakers:
Dr. David J Hornsby
Professor of International Affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic), Carleton University. Previously,
David was based the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa where he was an Associate Professor of International Relations and the Assistant Dean of Humanities, Teaching and Learning.
David’s research interests pertain to Canadian foreign policy in Sub-Saharan Africa and South African foreign policy.
Dr. Oscar van Heerden
A scholar of International Relations (IR), where he focuses on International Political Economy, with an emphasis on Africa, SADC in particular. He completed his PhD & Masters studies at the University of Cambridge (UK) from 2006-2010.
He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Johannesburg under the NRF chair for International Relations and African Diplomacy (Prof Chris Landsberg). He entered active politics in 1985 as a student & youth activist. He Is an avid writer and analyst of contemporary politics in South Africa. He has served in numerous political capacities in the ANC and other Mass Democratic Movement organisations.
He continues to speak truth to power through his ongoing “Daily Maverick” opinion pieces to this day. His work experience over the last 2 decades has been in Strategic Management at the ANC Headquarters in the late 1990s, the South African Qualifications Authority in 2000s, the Executive Manager in the City of Johannesburg in the Executive Mayor’s office and also as an independent Management consultant in his own company, Kelello Consulting working mostly but not exclusively with various government departments. He has held academic/management positions at both the University of Johannesburg and the University of Stellenbosch respectively. He served as Deputy Vice Chancellor at the University of Fort Hare until the end of 2022. He also worked in the capacity as Director Operations at the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflections (MISTRA).
