As South Africa’s politicians worked late into the night on Thursday to bash through a framework that would govern the seventh administration ahead of Friday’s crucial sitting of the National Assembly where the president and speaker would be elected, many people are still confused by what a Government of National Unity is.
With a little help from AI, IOL has broken down what a Government of National Unity is, if it was explained to an eight year old.
What is a Government of National Unity?
So, imagine you and your friends are trying to decide what game to play. Some want to play tag, some want to play hide and seek, and others want to play soccer.
But, instead of arguing and not playing anything, you all agree to play a little bit of each game! That’s kind of like what South Africa’s proposed Government of National Unity is all about.
In the country, there are different groups of people who have different ideas about how the country should be run.
They have their own political parties, like teams in sports. Sometimes, these political parties don’t agree on everything, and it can be hard to get things done.
So, imagine if instead of just one party making all the decisions, they all come together like ‘friends’ and work together to make decisions for the country.
This way, they can listen to each other’s ideas and try to find the best solution for everyone.
Just like when you and your friends compromise on what game to play, the different political parties in SA would compromise on important decisions.
They would share power and responsibilities, so everyone’s voice is heard and everyone feels included.
This helps make sure that the country stays peaceful and that everyone gets a fair chance.
It’s like teamwork, where everyone works together to make things better for everyone, just like you and your friends playing together happily.
What about the parties that are left or opt out?
Imagine there’s a big party happening, and everyone’s invited, but some friends could not make it because they had other plans or did not want to join.
In the Government of National Unity, some political parties might not be part of the big group working together.
The parties that are usually left out are the ones that did not win many seats in the elections or did not want to join the big group for various reasons.
It’s a bit like not everyone wanting to play the same game at recess. Some friends might want to play soccer while others prefer hopscotch.
It’s okay, but they just don’t join in this big party of working together in the government.
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