DA to support Appropriation Bill ‘in the national interest' after Nkabane axed

Daily Maverick

5 days ago

DA leader John Steenhuisen has announced the party will support the passing of the Appropriation Bill now that Nobuhle Nkabane is out of Cabinet.
The DA has confirmed it will support the passing of the Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly on Wednesday, 22 July, now that Nobuhle Nkabane has been fired as higher education minister. Following a party caucus meeting on Tuesday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said the party would vote for the Bill 'in the national interest'.
'The Democratic Alliance will support the 2024/25 Appropriation Bill following the president's decision to dismiss Minister Nkabane after sustained DA pressure. This decision is the crucial first step in holding compromised ministers accountable,' said Steenhuisen.
The Appropriation Bill, a key part of the national Budget that allocates departmental spending, will be considered and then debated on Wednesday. Every department's vote must be passed for the Bill to pass.
DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp told Daily Maverick on Tuesday morning that the party's support for the budget vote of the Department of Higher Education was solidified after Nkabane's firing.
'The Democratic Alliance will now support the budget vote on higher education because she is not there anymore,' he said.
However, he said the DA's caucus would decide whether to support the Department of Human Settlements budget:
'We will discuss this and we will then decide on a way forward with regards to which other budgets we will support.
'So, I think the only one in question [that] still remains is Human Settlements, and that I can't give you an answer on. Our caucus will decide on that.'
The DA has decided to move forward with the Appropriation Bill while continuing to push Ramaphosa to act against ministers implicated in wrongdoing.
'We now welcome the president's decision to act against [Nkabane]. But this must be the beginning, not the end. There are still individuals in the executive facing serious allegations. If the president is serious about restoring public trust, he must act decisively and consistently, not only when under pressure,' said Steenhuisen.
ANC parliamentary chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.
DA's ultimatum
After President Cyril Ramaphosa fired the DA's deputy minister of trade and industry, Andrew Whitfield, in June, the party said it would not support the Higher Education and Human Settlements budget votes while Ramaphosa retained ministers Nkabane and Thembi Simelane.
The party opposed Nkabane's vote due to the scandal around the Seta board appointments, which had included individuals aligned to the ANC.
For Simelane, it was down to her involvement in the ongoing VBS scandal. Daily Maverick and News24 reported that she received a R575,600 'loan' from VBS fixer Gundo Wealth Solutions.
Following Nkabane's axing, on Monday the DA's Karabo Khakhau said the party's position on the issue was unchanged. The 'only way' the DA could support the budget votes was if Nkabane and Simelane were removed, said Khakhau.
'Not always easy as the GNU'
Build One South Africa (Bosa) leader and chairperson of Parliament's Appropriations Committee, Mmusi Maimane, has been critical of the DA's stance on the Appropriation Bill, claiming it was playing politics with crucial government services.
If the National Assembly fails to pass the Appropriation Bill, the Public Finance Management Act allows departments to spend up to 45% of the previous year's allocation in the first four months.
Those four months will be up at the end of July. Thereafter, they can spend 10% of the allocation a month, capped at the previous year's total and limited to previously approved services.
On Tuesday, Aucamp said Maimane did not understand the dynamics of the Government of National Unity (GNU) since his party was outside of the GNU.
'He does not understand the dynamics that we have got to deal with in the GNU. We have always managed to get to where we need to be, even if it was the fiscal framework that the Democratic Alliance went to court with,' said Aucamp.
'It's very easy to stand on the sidelines and give criticism if you are not on the field,' said Aucamp.
He added: 'As the GNU, it's not always easy, but we do get where we want to be and hopefully we will be able to sort out all the issues with regards to all the different budgets and go forward from there. So yeah, it's easy for Mr Maimane to give criticism.'
The DA spokesperson said the party's approach was 'yielding results'.
'If it was not for the pressure that the Democratic Alliance has been applying, we would still have sat with Nkabane.' DM