DA fires off Cabinet reshuffle threat

The DA has threatened to leave the government of national unity (GNU) should President Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffle his Cabinet and remove some portfolios from the blue party.

This comes after calls from some ANC alliance partners, such as the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), for Ramaphosa to punish the DA for not supporting a budget proposed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

The federation wants Ramaphosa to reshuffle the Cabinet and take positions from the DA.

Speaking to The Citizen on Thursday, DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp said any changes to the Cabinet must be discussed with all GNU partners before they are implemented.

“If they take away any of our portfolios, or make changes that influence ministerial positions, or deputy ministers, then we will leave the GNU,” Aucamp said.

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Seeking support outside the GNU

Aucamp said the DA is not pleased that the ANC went to parties outside the ruling coalition to seek support for a Value-Added Tax (VAT) increase the DA opposed.

“This is not supposed to be an ANC budget, it is supposed to be a GNU budget, and the DA will not blindly support a budget that we do not agree with,” he said.

Aucamp said the DA will meet with the ANC on the weekend to discuss tensions within the GNU.

DA is still committed to the GNU

However, he said the DA continues to be a member of the GNU and remains committed to it.

“The DA remains committed to the GNU, and we are signatories to the statement of intent. The ANC has not adhered to sections of the statement of intent, which includes consensus among members of the GNU,” he said.

Political analyst Prof Susan Booysen also questioned whether the ANC had the power to remove the DA from the coalition.

She said the statement of intent (SOI) signed by the party required the ANC to consult other parties to bring in new partners and for President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint Cabinet ministers, or to make changes in the executive.

Booysen said the SOI was silent on the need for a consensus in decision-making among the parties.

VAT court challenge

The DA has approached the Western Cape High Court to have the budget vote on April 2 declared null and void.

The party also says the minister of finance should not be able to determine taxes for more than 60 million South Africans alone.

Earlier this week, ANC general secretary Fikile Mbalula said the ANC is awaiting “divorce papers” from the blue party or an explanation of how it can stay in the GNU after voting against the fiscal framework.

Can the ANC and DA work together?

Free State University (UFS) political analyst Sanet Solomon told The Citizen that the ANC and DA must find alternative mechanisms to resolve their challenges.

“They need to work together to resolve their differences, to strengthen public trust, and support for this union that they have entered into. The continued press statements and social media engagements they participate in are detrimental to the country as they create an external impression of political instability.

“Consequently, casting doubts on the country’s stability, alienating voters from participating in the upcoming elections and eroding the already non-existent public trust,” she said.

Solomon said the ideological clashes between the DA and the ANC have left the country wondering if the two parties can work together.

“There appears to be a mismatch in expectations between the DA and the ANC. This was evident from the onset. The public was, however, under the impression that these parties would find a way to work together in the country’s interest.

“This has, however, not been the case. Instead, their half-hearted commitment has been evident for months.”

Is the GNU effective?

Solomon said the DA and the ANC should decide whether their coalition is functional and whether they want to coexist in the GNU.

“At some point, they need to decide whether they would like to continue working together or whether they would like to go their separate ways to ensure the reconfiguration of something that could work.

“The country needs better and this political flip-flopping needs to be resolved urgently,” she said.

The DA has approached the courts to challenge many decisions that the ANC-led government has made. Solomon believes this is unhealthy for a working relationship between coalition partners.

“It is unsustainable for the GNU to continue functioning effectively if the coalition partners continue to utilise the judiciary as a tool to settle differences. Hence, the country has a clear division of powers between its executive, judiciary and legislature,” she said.

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