South Africa: Ramaphosa's firing of official prompts crisis – DW – 06/28/2025
The Democratic Alliance (DA), a key partner of Cyril Ramaphosa's party in South Africa's ruling coalition, threatened "grave consequences" unless their demands are met. Previously, Ramaphosa fired a DA deputy minister.
South Africa's fragile coalition government is under mounting strain, as the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party, abruptly withdrew from President Cyril Ramaphosa's "National Dialogue" initiative on Saturday.
DA leader John Steenhuisen also announced that his party would withhold support for the budgets of departments led by ministers accused of corruption.
The move follows Ramaphosa's dismissal of Deputy Trade Minister Andrew Whitfield, a DA member, earlier this week over an unauthorized trip to the United States. The DA and Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) are the two largest parties in South Africa's coalition government.
DA head Steenhuisen issued an ultimatum to the president, demanding the removal of ANC ministers and deputy ministers implicated in corruption within 48 hours and threatening "grave consequences" if the demands are not met.
That deadline passed on Saturday, with Steenhuisen accusing Ramaphosa of acting with "disrespect, arrogance, and double standards.'
"The president's refusal to act against corruption within his own ranks risks confirming that his oft-repeated public commitment to clean governance is a sham," Steenhuisen said.
"Until he replaces words with action against corruption within his own ranks, the DA sees no further point in wasting our breath in endless talk shops with the ANC," he added.
South African news outlet reported that Ramaphosa canceled his trip to a UN conference in Spain amid concerns the DA might exit the coalition.
But Steenhuisen confirmed the DA would remain in government and said the party had also decided, for now, not to table a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa.
The coalition government was formed just over a year ago after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power in 1994.
The ANC and DA remain ideologically opposed and have clashed repeatedly over the past year.
Their disagreement over this year's budget led to months of delays, and they have also sparred over policies aimed at addressing racial inequality, including the land expropriation act.
The sharp divisions now appear to threaten the future of the National Dialogue initiative, which was intended to tackle some of South Africa's most pressing challenges, including high unemployment and crime.
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DW
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- DW
South Africa: Ramaphosa's firing of official prompts crisis – DW – 06/28/2025
The Democratic Alliance (DA), a key partner of Cyril Ramaphosa's party in South Africa's ruling coalition, threatened "grave consequences" unless their demands are met. Previously, Ramaphosa fired a DA deputy minister. South Africa's fragile coalition government is under mounting strain, as the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party, abruptly withdrew from President Cyril Ramaphosa's "National Dialogue" initiative on Saturday. DA leader John Steenhuisen also announced that his party would withhold support for the budgets of departments led by ministers accused of corruption. The move follows Ramaphosa's dismissal of Deputy Trade Minister Andrew Whitfield, a DA member, earlier this week over an unauthorized trip to the United States. The DA and Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) are the two largest parties in South Africa's coalition government. DA head Steenhuisen issued an ultimatum to the president, demanding the removal of ANC ministers and deputy ministers implicated in corruption within 48 hours and threatening "grave consequences" if the demands are not met. That deadline passed on Saturday, with Steenhuisen accusing Ramaphosa of acting with "disrespect, arrogance, and double standards.' "The president's refusal to act against corruption within his own ranks risks confirming that his oft-repeated public commitment to clean governance is a sham," Steenhuisen said. "Until he replaces words with action against corruption within his own ranks, the DA sees no further point in wasting our breath in endless talk shops with the ANC," he added. South African news outlet reported that Ramaphosa canceled his trip to a UN conference in Spain amid concerns the DA might exit the coalition. But Steenhuisen confirmed the DA would remain in government and said the party had also decided, for now, not to table a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa. The coalition government was formed just over a year ago after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power in 1994. The ANC and DA remain ideologically opposed and have clashed repeatedly over the past year. Their disagreement over this year's budget led to months of delays, and they have also sparred over policies aimed at addressing racial inequality, including the land expropriation act. The sharp divisions now appear to threaten the future of the National Dialogue initiative, which was intended to tackle some of South Africa's most pressing challenges, including high unemployment and crime.
Int'l Business Times
3 days ago
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G20 President S.Africa Warns Global Turmoil Hurts Poorer Nations
Global fragmentation is fuelling unprecedented turmoil and disproportionately harming poorer nations, South Africa's foreign minister warned Thursday, urging a united G20 response for peace. Ronald Lamola made the remarks to dozens of diplomats from the G20 group of the world's leading economies meeting to prepare for its summit in November under South Africa's presidency. "State rivalries are fuelling fragmentation, with economic decoupling, and proxy conflicts undermining global stability," the foreign minister said, referring to multiple major conflicts and humanitarian crises under way. This was "exacerbating fragility in vulnerable regions while also weakening multilateral institutions that underpin the rules-based international order," he said. South Africa is the first African nation to hold the rotating year-long presidency of the group made up of 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union that together represent around two-thirds of the world's population and 80 percent of its GDP. Pretoria wants to use its presidency to champion Global South priorities, including boosting climate resilience and tackling poor countries' debt, before handing the baton to the United States next year. Speaking to AFP, Lamola said he was hopeful that the talks at the Sun City resort 185 kilometres (115 miles) northwest of Johannesburg "will persuade and help to encourage the message of peace, good friendly neighbours and the language of de-escalation." Resolutions taken by the bloc are non-binding in nature and the diverse grouping has often failed to reach a consensus. However, many members hold seats on the UN Security Council or are involved in conflict resolution efforts, making the G20 "an important platform" and "very persuasive", Lamola told reporters. Lamola said he was not concerned that the United States -- the bloc's richest member -- did not send a representative to Sun City. "We have received their letter of apology, in which they stated their reasons," he said. "We believe that the G20 can proceed with or without the US, but they are important in terms of participation." Relations between South Africa and the United States plummeted this year over a range of international and domestic policies and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Cape Town in February. Keen to salvage his summit, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tried at talks with Donald Trump in May to have the US leader commit to attend the Johannesburg meeting. The Russian representative at the Sun City, Svetlana Lukash, was non-committal about the attendance of President Vladimir Putin, saying only he will take part "in some way". Putin missed the previous G20 summits in India and Brazil, avoiding possible political opprobrium and any risk of criminal detention under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant. Lukash said G20 members remained divided over Russia's war in Ukraine but were less fixated on the conflict than they were when it started in 2022. The war has split the G20, with Western countries condemning the invasion and pouring military and financial aid into Ukraine, while Russia has courted support from emerging powers such as Brazil, China and India. "Most of the world closed their eyes on numerous conflicts around the world due to dominance of Western views," she said. But more countries now recognised the "double standards", Lukash said.
Int'l Business Times
18-06-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation Initiative 'Outrageous': UN Probe Chief
The use of the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to distribute food in the Palestinian territory is "outrageous", the head of a UN inquiry said Wednesday. Navi Pillay, who chairs the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Israel and the Palestinian territories, joined a growing chorus of criticism of the GHF's operations, and cited its US links. "In every war, the siege and starvation surely leads to death," the former UN rights chief told journalists. "But this initiative of what's called a foundation, a private foundation, to supply food, is what I see as outrageous, because it involves the United States itself, the government, and it turns out, as we watch daily, that people who go to those centres are being killed as they seek food." An officially private effort with opaque funding, GHF began operations on May 26 after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach GHF distribution points. Pillay said the commission would "have to look into... the policy purpose and how it's being effected. "We have to spell out what is the motive of, right now, the killing of people who are coming for humanitarian aid from this so-called foundation -- and that lives are being lost just in trying to secure food for their children." Unprecedented in its open-ended scope, the three-person Commission of Inquiry was established by the UN Human Rights Council in May 2021 to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Israel and the Palestinian territories. South African former High Court judge Pillay, 83, served as a judge on the International Criminal Court and presided over the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. On Tuesday she presented the commission's latest report to the Human Rights Council. It said Israel had attacked Gaza's schools, religious and cultural sites as part of a "widespread and systematic" assault on the civilian population, in which Israeli forces have committed "war crimes" and "the crime against humanity of extermination". Israel does not cooperate with the investigation and has long accused it of "systematic anti-Israel discrimination". Navi Pillay served as a judge on the International Criminal Court AFP Dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach GHF distribution points AFP
