GNU Clearing House Mechanism adopts terms of reference

GNU Clearing House Mechanism adopts terms of reference Deputy President Paul Mashatile, in his capacity as Chairperson of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Clearing House Mechanism, convened a virtual meeting on Wednesday, 29 October 2025, where the terms of reference (TOR) were adopted. This mechanism was established by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2024 to resolve policy disagreements within the 10-member GNU, with Deputy President Mashatile appointed to lead it. During the meeting, the Deputy President’s Office reported that the Working Group had finalised the draft TOR. According to the Deputy President‘s Office, the draft TOR document was initially presented in October 2024, but due to some disagreements, the Secretariat sought the expertise of constitutional law specialist, Professor Jaap de Visser for legal refinement. The main points of contention involved deadlock-breaking mechanisms and specific clauses from the GNU statement of intent, particularly clauses 18 and 19.3. A Working Group was formed to address these issues, consisting of representatives from the Democratic Alliance, Rise Mzansi, and the Pan Africanist Congress, and was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Andries Nel. The Working Group received submissions on the draft TOR from the representatives of the parties and was tasked with finalising its work within two weeks to report back to the GNU Clearing House Mechanism. The group proposed several initiatives, including the creation of a dispute resolution process flow diagram to clarify the decision-making process of the GNU Clearing House Mechanism. It was emphasised that the Clearing House Mechanism serves as a recommending body rather than a decision-making entity, and monthly meetings were proposed. In addition, the group suggested that any unresolved issues be referred to the Political Leaders Forum instead of directly to the President. “The Working Group also supported a resolution to ‘agree to disagree’ when consensus fails. “The GNU Clearing House Mechanism agreed that the statement of intent is foundational to the work of the GNU Clearing House and equally agreed that sufficient consensus applies only to decision-making bodies – the GNU and Political Leaders Forum and not the Clearing House. “Lastly, it agreed on referral procedures and the non-inclusion of provincial or local government matters.” The GNU Clearing House Mechanism acknowledged the efforts of the Working Group and the Secretariat and agreed that the adopted TOR will be presented to the Political Leaders’ Forum for ratification. The GNU Clearing House Mechanism further agreed that future concerns should be addressed through amendments, as the adopted document is now a living document.” – SAnews.gov.za
Gabisile Thu, 10/30/2025 - 08:59 213 views

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