William M Gumede is an Associate Professor in Public and Development Management at the University of the Witwatersrand and a multiple No. 1 bestselling, award-winning South African author. He is the Founder and Executive Chairperson of Democracy Works Foundation, the Institute for Social Dialogue, and served as Independent Chairperson of the Multiparty Coalition Negotiations ahead of the 2024 South African elections.
With a distinguished career spanning academia, policy-making, and civil society leadership, Gumede has advised governments, parliaments, and global institutions on democracy, economic development, and governance. He has trained members of the South African Cabinet, MPs across the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and parliamentarians on how to manage national budgets, strengthen oversight, and conduct themselves ethically.
He played a key role in stress-testing KPMG’s governance strategy after its corruption scandals, chaired its Public Interest Fund, and advised President Cyril Ramaphosa on restructuring South Africa’s public service. Gumede also co-founded the Drakensberg Inclusive Economic Growth Forum with the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, creating space for dialogue between government, business, and civil society.
William M Gumede is Associate Professor, Public and Development Management and former Convener, Political Economy, School of Governance, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; and Professor, Management, Elsenburg, Stellenbosch. He is a multiple no. 1 bestselling, award-winning South African author.
He is the Founder and Executive Chairperson of Democracy Works Foundation, the Founder of the Institute for Social Dialogue, and Independent Chairperson of the Negotiations to Establish a Multiparty Coalition of Opposition Parties for the 2024 South African National and Provincial Elections.
He is an Advisory Board Member of the Global Public Policy Institute, Berlin and Advisory Board Member of the Global Reporting Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
He ran the course on public policy, including how to put together the National Budget for Members of Parliament of all political parties in South Africa. He ran the programs for Members of Parliament of the British Commonwealth on financial management of Parliaments and how to conduct themselves ethically as MPs, for the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. He taught an economic development program for members of the South African National Cabinet.
William M Gumede was the Independent Advisor & Chairperson of the KPMG Public Interest Fund, stress-testing the KPMG governance strategy following a series of public corruption scandals, which threatened the collapse of the company in SA, establishing the KPMG Public Interest Fund and was Chairperson of the fund, in which the equivalent of the alleged corrupt money was deposited to be distributed to social enterprises and charities and community groups to tackle inequality, poverty and corruption.
He was a Member of the High-Level Task Team of President Cyril Ramaphosa advising government on the restructuring and professionalization of the South African public service. He co-chaired the South African government’s 2009 Developmental State Conference.
He is Co-Founder and Co-Convener, of the Drakensberg Inclusive Economic Growth Forum, organized under the auspices of former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation, bringing together Cabinet members, government, business, and civil society leaders to discuss the key development priorities for the country.
William M Gumede was the Co-Founder & Co- Principal Author of South Africa’s 2010 Development Report. He was the Co-Founder of the Public Sector Audit Forum, established under the auspices of the National Treasury and the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa, to improve the capacity of public sector audit committees.
He modeled South Africa’s Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), the National Treasury’s Infrastructure Project Preparation Fund (IPPF) and William M Gumede was a member of the team that established the Green Fund of South Africa.
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In this keynote, delivered shortly after South Africa’s national elections, a leading political analyst explores the urgent task of coalition-building. With the ANC at 40%, the country has entered unprecedented political territory, with just 14 days to form a national government.
The speaker outlines the complex landscape: opposition parties remain ideologically diverse, making it nearly impossible to unite around a single governing coalition. He draws parallels to Israel’s 2021 experiment, where unlikely partners managed to hold a fragile coalition together, and suggests that South Africa may require similarly unconventional arrangements.
Two starkly different pathways emerge:
The speaker stresses that traditional coalitions often erode smaller parties’ identities, as seen with the IFP in the 1990s and Patricia de Lille’s Good party more recently. Instead, a GNU with clear reform mandates could restore economic growth, strengthen rule of law, and rebuild public trust.
Finally, he highlights the role of business and civil society as vital delivery partners, cautioning against ideologically driven exclusion. South Africa still has globally competitive businesses and strong NGOs—assets that, if mobilized under a GNU, could accelerate recovery.
The message is clear: South Africa stands at a crossroads. A doomsday coalition risks deepening crisis, while a GNU could unlock growth, stability, and confidence.
00:00 – Opening remarks: South Africa’s 14-day deadline to form a coalition.
03:00 – Why opposition unity is difficult; lessons from Israel’s 2021 coalition.
05:30 – Doomsday scenarios: ANC with EFF, MK, and smaller parties.
09:00 – Zuma’s demands: Ramaphosa’s removal and a presidential pardon.
12:00 – The ANC’s leadership crisis and internal divisions.
15:00 – The multiparty charter: its commitments and dilemmas.
19:00 – Proposal for a Government of National Unity with cluster governance.
24:00 – Critical reforms in infrastructure, policing, and justice.
27:00 – Risks of ANC-EFF coalitions for opposition partners.
30:00 – The role of business and civil society in national recovery.
33:00 – Closing vision: GNU as South Africa’s best pathway to growth and stability.
In this wide-ranging discussion, Professor William Gumede—chair of the Multi-Party Charter negotiations—analyzes South Africa’s new political era under the GNU, just past its symbolic 100-day milestone.
He explains the historical roots of the “100 days” measure, tracing it back to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, and applies it to South Africa’s coalition experiment. According to Gumede, the GNU represents the best possible outcome from the 2024 elections: it prevented an ANC single-party dominance scenario (which risked disaster) and blocked a potential populist coalition with the EFF and MK, which could have triggered economic collapse, skills flight, and international isolation.
Key insights:
He also addresses provincial flashpoints like Gauteng, where Premier Panyaza Lesufi positions himself against the GNU, potentially as a steppingstone to ANC leadership. Gumede suggests this strategy may backfire, especially if provincial governance collapses under fiscal strain or corruption scandals.
Looking ahead, he identifies the GNU’s success criteria:
Finally, Gumede underscores the constitutional battle at the heart of South African politics: pro-democracy forces versus those seeking to dismantle the constitutional order. The GNU, he argues, must defend constitutionalism as non-negotiable for stability, growth, and inclusivity.
00:00 – Opening: The 100-day milestone and its global political roots.
04:00 – Why coalition governments suit South Africa’s diversity.
07:00 – Early green shoots: renewed hope, investment, and cooperation.
11:00 – Cabinet accountability: internal competition boosts performance.
15:00 – Consensus decision-making explained; lessons from global coalitions.
20:00 – Risks of failure: ANC mindset and factionalism.
26:00 – Gauteng and Lesufi’s defiance as an anti-GNU strategy.
32:00 – Success criteria: corruption reduction, service delivery, partnerships.
38:00 – The constitutional fight: defending democracy against populism.
43:00 – Potential realignment: GNU as a permanent coalition.
50:00 – Closing reflections on South Africa’s political future.
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