The African National Congress (ANC) Veterans’ League on Tuesday welcomed the Government of National Unity (GNU) agreement, saying while more work is needed to establish a viable and sustainable national and provincial government, it believes that the country is “steering the ship on the right path”.

The GNU, so far, has five signatories – the ANC, Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance and the GOOD party – representing more than two-thirds of the seats in the National Assembly.

After losing its outright majority in the May 29 national and provincial elections the ANC was forced to forge alliances with other parties.

“Today a significant milestone in South African exceptionalism was achieved: the agreement on a Statement of Intent to establish a Government of National Unity,” said the Veterans’ League.

The Veterans’ League welcomed the contents of the Statement of Intent document, which outlines focus priorities for the seventh administration, and includes rapid economic growth, job creation, land reform, infrastructure development, fiscal sustainability and macro-economic management.

The Veterans’ League said the principles and ambitions agreed upon in the document are “the work of everyone”, and it has committed itself to providing guidance and holding accountable the political party representatives who have been sworn in.

It said it would mobilise veterans’ political and technical skills to support the ANC’s national executive committee and provincial executive committees and added that the Statement of Intent demonstrated that the political parties involved did not see the GNU as merely a marriage of convenience or seek to use it to advance ideological positions.

“Instead it commits to interventions to improve the South African economy, create jobs and improve service delivery,” it said.

The Veterans’ League highlighted that work needed to be done to develop a minimum programme that all parties could agree on to move the nation forward.

“This will give the ANC the opportunity to continue serving the people and together we can do more,” added the Veterans’ League.

Meanwhile, it said a thorough introspection was needed after the ANC lost its majority in the national and provincial elections.

The Veterans’ League explained that the election results showed that the agenda of renewal needed to be intensified, while the processes to address ANC members who had brought the organisation into disrepute must continue.