DA leader John Steenhuisen hits back at Thabo Mbeki over national dialogue withdrawal criticism
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Newspapers, IOL Graphics
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has hit back at former president Thabo Mbeki's criticism of the party's decision to withdraw from the upcoming National Dialogue.
The DA announced last weekend that it would be withdrawing from the National Dialogue, just days after they threatened repercussions for the firing of former deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, who was fired by President Cyril Ramaphosa for travelling to the US without the president's permission.
IOL reported this week that Mbeki, in a 10 page open letter, criticised the DA for its decision to withdraw from the upcoming National Dialogue, calling the move 'misplaced and very strange', accusing the DA of acting 'against its own very direct interests.'
Good morning, South Africa. President Mbeki's open letter to me confirms that the National Dialogue is a creature of the ANC that has been sprung upon the public with the disingenuous claim that it is an 'inclusive' process. Read my full response below. pic.twitter.com/UnM5mOiBZP — John Steenhuisen MP (@jsteenhuisen) July 5, 2025
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In a written response to Mbeki's open letter on Saturday, Steenhuisen said the DA would not participate in what he described as "another expensive talk shop" that would do nothing to improve people's lives.
'You sought my indulgence and now I must ask that you commit time for me to explain the DA's decision to stay away from yet another enormously expensive process that will predictably involve a lot of talking, but do nothing to advance open, transparent and corruption-free governance that South Africans so desperately desire,' Steenhuisen said.
Steenhuisen also pointed out what he called a 'double standard' in how ANC ministers have been treated compared to the DA's deputy minister, Whitfield.
He also criticised the dialogue's timing and origins, pointing out that Mbeki only called for it after the ANC's poor showing in recent elections. Suggesting it was a political move to regain lost support.
"We also think the timing of this proposed dialogue is significant. We note that you did not call for a National Dialogue during the disastrous term of your successor, Jacob Zuma, even when the public outcry grew for his removal.
"It was only last year, when it became clear that the ANC, for whom you campaigned in the 2024 election, was about to lose its majority, that you proposed this National Dialogue. It is clear to us that, as the ANC lost the confidence of the voters, ANC leaders (including yourself) began seeking ways of addressing this 'problem' as if it were a national crisis.'
Steenhuisen said the dialogue was mainly planned between Mbeki and the ANC, without involving other political parties properly.
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