ABSTRACT
With the elections over, the government of national unity (GNU) confronted the enormous difficulties facing the country. Together with the newly elected President Mandela, the former president, F.W. de Klerk, and Chief Buthelezi of the Inkatha Freedom Party sat in the cabinet. The National Party portfolios included the ministries of finance, mineral and energy affairs, environment, agriculture, welfare and population development, and provincial and constitutional development. The need for conciliation and consensus meant that the ANC alliance of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) had to work in cooperation with other political organisations. Generally, the verdict on the GNU was that it was necessary and appropriate. It also operated adequately during an uneasy transitional period. The former ANC deputy secretary general felt that the government played a crucial mediatory role and acted as a force between conflicting interests. 1 The spirit of the government at that time was one of ‘reconciliation’ in providing a ‘culture of negotiation’. 2 Even former president F.W. de Klerk admitted that for the first couple of years the new cabinet ‘functioned surprisingly smoothly’. 3
