EFF: Dissolve the GNU to unlock radical economic transformation

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) say the Government of National Unity (GNU) has failed and must be dissolved to allow for radical economic transformation. The party’s intervention follows recent reshuffle demands by the Democratic Alliance (DA) and a wider critique of the coalition as an elite pact that preserves the status quo.

What prompted the intervention

On 17 June 2026, DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to demote John Steenhuisen from Minister of Agriculture to Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition and to appoint Willie Aucamp as his replacement. The EFF points to Steenhuisen’s earlier stepping down as DA leader as evidence of instability within the GNU and says the request exposes deep problems in the coalition’s functioning.

EFF’s critique of the GNU

The EFF argues the GNU is an “ill-conceived coalition” and a continuation of the African National Congress’s historical failures, governed by elite compromises rather than the needs of ordinary South Africans. The party says the GNU surrenders executive power to factional interests and turns the Cabinet into a site of careerism rather than service delivery.

Agriculture and the FMD crisis

The EFF describes Steenhuisen’s handling of the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) crisis as “catastrophic,” saying small-scale farmers, subsistence producers in communal areas and land reform beneficiaries were left without vaccines, extension services or market access. The party says this worsened food insecurity and rural poverty.

Political origins and purpose

The EFF says the GNU was formed explicitly to block the EFF and the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK-Party) from gaining influence in state power. The party points to admissions by DA figures that the coalition’s purpose was to prevent a progressive realignment that could pursue policies such as land expropriation without compensation, nationalisation and free basic services.

Why the EFF wants the GNU dissolved

The EFF rejects the GNU as “unstable, incoherent and anti-transformation” and calls for its dissolution to enable what it terms radical economic transformation (RET). The party sets out policy priorities it says are necessary for that transformation, including:

• Expropriation of land without compensation to restore dignity and productivity.
• Nationalisation of mines, banks and strategic sectors.
• Comprehensive support for black farmers, including FMD control, extension services and market access.

Political appeal and next steps

The EFF calls on progressive forces, including disillusioned elements within the ANC, to reject what it describes as an “elite pact” and to demand a government that confronts white monopoly capital and fights imperialism. The party says it will continue to raise these issues in Parliament, on the ground and in public discourse, and invites South Africans who seek radical change to join its campaign.

The GNU is not a break from the past but its extension. It protects unrepentant forces of reaction while the people endure.

The EFF frames the recent reshuffle demands and the broader coalition arrangement as symptomatic of deeper structural and systemic failure, arguing that dissolving the GNU is imperative to unlock the nation’s potential.