Is the DA planning to challenge Ramaphosa's leadership?
Image: Ayanda Ndamane Independent Newspapers
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is threatening to bring forth a motion of no confidence against President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The party is calling out the double standards of Ramaphosa and his failure to deal with corrupt Cabinet officials.
This came after DA leader John Steenhuisen announced on Saturday the party's immediate withdrawal from the Government of National Unity's (GNU) National Dialogue, citing a breakdown in trust and accusing Ramaphosa of shielding corruption-accused African National Congress (ANC) Ministers.
Steenhuisen criticised Ramaphosa for allegedly breaching the GNU's founding Statement of Intent and for what he called a pattern of 'arrogance, disrespect and double standards' by the ANC in its handling of coalition politics.
'Until [President Ramaphosa] 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,' said Steenhuisen.
'Effective immediately, the DA will have no further part in this process.'
The dialogue, which is set to start in August, aims to set a policy direction for the GNU.
The DA joined the GNU following the 2024 general elections, in which the ANC lost its outright majority for the first time since 1994. The coalition, seen by many as a historic opportunity to usher in a new era of multiparty governance, has since shown signs of strain.
According to Steenhuisen, the President unilaterally appointed a 'bloated' executive and pushed through controversial legislation without consulting GNU partners. He further accused Ramaphosa of sidelining the DA in key decisions and failing to act on corruption allegations against senior ANC figures.
Most recently, the dismissal of DA Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Andrew Whitfield, reportedly over a travel permission issue, sparked outrage within the party.
Whitfield was removed after he failed to get approval from Ramaphosa to travel to the US, which is standard for ministers, even for personal matters.
Earlier this year, Whitfield was part of a week-long trip to the US. However, the DA said the trip was not conducted in Whitfield's position as a government representative, but rather as provincial leader of the DA in the Eastern Cape.
While Whitfield sent an apology to the President, Ramaphosa still issued his dismissal letter and invited the DA to submit a replacement.
'The flagrant double standard that protects the likes of [Thembi] Simelane and [Nobuhle] Nkabane but acts against Whitfield proves that in the ANC's universe, the only things you dare not be are competent, honest, and hard-working,' Steenhuisen said.
The party further vowed to vote against the budgets of corrupt ministers, and 'boycotting Ramaphosa's extravagant R700-million National Dialogue talk shop'.
'As long as ANC Members of the Executive implicated are in corruption, misleading of Parliament, and other acts of malfeasance remain around the Cabinet table, the DA will not support their departmental budgets in Parliament, and will not participate in the National Dialogue,' the party said.
The ANC has shot back at the DA and stated that any possible motion of no confidence against President Ramaphosa would be deemed as the DA's walk-out from the GNU.
ANC spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said this could be the end of the DA in the GNU.
'I can say with certainty that that motion will not pass in the House, and if the DA decides to do that, they're essentially saying that they have walked out of the GNU. We know that they have been planning, or a particular group within the DA has been planning, the matter of passing a motion of no confidence.'
'We were expecting that this is what was going to be spoken about, but we do want to say that should they take that course of action, the ANC would be ready to make sure that we defend,' Bhengu-Motsiri said.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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