‘DA did the right thing’ – Here’s how experts have rated the DA’s moves in the GNU so far

The DA is doing well at the national level under the government of national unity (GNU) despite party leader John Steenhuisen sacking both Roman Cabanac and Renaldo Gouws last week following criticism of some of the party’s appointments and stances on matters, experts say.

Political analyst Piet Croucamp said the majority of people who voted for the DA in the first place didn’t want Cabanac there and couldn’t make peace with Gouws either.

“You have to look at the broad spectrum of the people who voted DA, not just the conservative part of the DA,” he said.

Most of SA wants GNU to work

Croucamp said most South Africans want the GNU to work, especially DA supporters, because they didn’t trust the ANC to govern alone.

“Whatever the DA does to stay in the GNU will win the leadership of the DA credits, and not undermine them,” he said.

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Political analyst Daniel Silke said the DA took the opportunity the GNU has provided.

“The best the DA can do is to show they are performing relatively well in their ministerial positions, creating a fairly high profile for themselves by uncovering wrongdoing in their departments and trying to distinguish between them and what there was before and the ANC’s performance in Cabinet and that they can govern better than the ANC at the national level,” he said.

Silke said the DA has been successful at governing at the provincial level.

“This is a marketing and public relations opportunity in addition to serving the country and in addition to performing properly and getting these ministries up and running.

“It is an important marketing opportunity to put the DA on a level footing with the ANC in national government.”

ALSO READ: Steenhuisen says DA will leave GNU if it doesn’t create jobs

A degree of equivalence with the ANC

Silke said despite all the issues, the DA was now seen co-governing in responsible positions which provided the party with a degree of equivalence with the ANC for the first time on a national level.

“Whatever happens on the periphery, the appointments and the debacles of Gouws and Cabanac, I don’t think it is going to be seen as a negative by the supporters.

“The DA took action against those two individuals which is positive. There was an error of judgment, poor judgment when it came to both those individuals.

“They did correct their ways on it to critics, not without pressure and public pressure as well. I don’t think the DA supporters were too worried about the peripheral issues and were happy to see the DA in the national spotlight,” he added.

Silke said it was generally good for the DA to avoid the nonsense with Gouws.

“Now the DA can more closely focus on delivery on these portfolios, that’s what matters to the supporters.

ALSO READ: Renaldo Gouws no longer a DA MP: Here’s how much he is set to lose out on

‘Still early days’

“The issue is unresolved in the GNU of how the differences of opinions would be handled.

“The education bill itself seems unresolved at the moment. If the DA can sell enough tweaks to that legislation, it will satisfy its broad support base that it has not lost its oppositional status and it has not been coopted into government,” he said.

Silke said DA supporters expect the DA to be constructive in government and a constructive opposition.

“There is a fine line and it is still early days,” he said

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