Political tensions rise as Mbalula defends ANC's position in coalition government
ANC secretary general has slammed the DA saying they can leave the GNU if they wanted to.
Image: Facebook/MyANC
ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula has challenged the Democratic Alliance (DA) to withdraw from the Government of National Unity (GNU) following the party's threats to boycott the upcoming National Dialogue.
This confrontation comes in the wake of President Cyril Ramaphosa's recent dismissal of former deputy minister Andrew Whitfield, who allegedly undertook an unauthorised trip to the United States.
DA leader John Steenhuisen, addressing the media on Saturday slammed Ramaphosa's decision, claiming it was indicative of President Ramaphosa's inconsistent approach to governance while also "threatening to destabilise the GNU unless all so-called delinquent ministers are removed from their positions within 48 hours.
However Mbalula who was speaking during the 3rd day of the OR Tambo Regional Conference in the Eastern Cape on Sunday stated that the GNU is not a permanent feature but a temporary partnership among all the coalition parties.
Mbalula stated that the ANC and its President will not be bullied and disrespected by the DA and its leaders who continuously threaten to destabilise the GNU.
"When the Government of National Unity was formed with the ten political parties, it was not a permanent feature. So, we will not allow for our President to be disrespected by his deputy ministers.
"Even Nelson Mandela fired his own wife. My mother Winnie Nomzamo Madikizela Mandela. Mandela took him out of the cabinet.
Thabo Mbeki as president also did the same when he fired Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge. We can't then be disrespected by a small boy who is being protected by the DA. We are not in a marriage with the DA but we are in a coalition," he said.
Mbalula who addressed delegates to one of the party's biggest regions in the Eastern Cape, the OR Tambo Region- which is one of the most influential ANC regions in the country said that those who had accused the ANC of selling out when it partnered with the DA in the GNU would soon realise that the ANC has an upper hand in the coalition.
"They must know one thing. We are not at the mercy of the DA. We are in this coalition because we respected the outcomes of the elections and the interests of the people of South Africa. That is why we have characterised this as a strategic setback.
"It is not a permanent feature. The GNU is not a melting pot. We did say that there are ten political parties in the GNU and the DA did not want this. Now, I see why they did not want this as they wanted to squeeze us and put us in a corner, but we turned the tables around and we put them in our own trap. Now they are in a deeper trap," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
43 minutes ago
- The Citizen
'It's president prerogative to redeploy',Nkabane says
Nkabane has come under fire after being embroiled in allegations of corruption and other issues. Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the official launch of the National Skills Fund (NSF) Disabilities Programme Phase I at Blind SA on 29 November 2024 in Alberton, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi As calls grow for Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane to be removed for failing to deliver on the department's basic responsibilities, the minister said it is the prerogative of President Cyril Ramaphosa to redeploy her. Nkabane has come under fire after being embroiled in allegations of corruption and the illegal appointment of the Seta board, including accusations that she misled Parliament by providing false information about the procedure for appointing Seta chairs — a list dominated by ANC cadres — and about the composition of the panel that made the appointments. Calls for removal On Sunday, the South African Students Congress (Sasco) called for the immediate removal of Nkabane. It is the third organisation to call for the minister's axing, after the EFF and the DA also lodged complaints against her. ALSO READ: WATCH: Sasco calls for immediate removal of Minister Nobuhle Nkabane 'Not much to say' Speaking to the media on Monday, Nkabane said she did not have 'much to say'. 'Basically, there's nothing that I can say because it is the prerogative of the president to appoint and redeploy, so I cannot say anything. However, what I believe in is that we have an open-door policy as the department, and we do have a stakeholder engagement framework where we engage our stakeholders from time to time if there are any concerns. 'I'm still waiting for them to come and raise their concerns within the frameworks and the protocols of government because they did not come to me to raise those issues. I saw some of their concerns that they were raising yesterday through their media briefings,' Nkabane said. Criticism Nkabane said she welcomes criticism. 'We believe it is criticism that is going to make us grow and grow as we learn'. Nkabane said her department is ready to table the budget vote on Thursday, despite the DA stating it would not be voting because the minister is implicated in scandals. 'I wouldn't say they are correct or incorrect for raising their views. Everyone has a right to raise their views and opinions. However, we are preparing for the budget vote on Thursday, and we are ready as a department to table our budget vote in parliament and NCOP, so we are not shaken'. ALSO READ: 'Reputational discomfort': Minister apologises to Advocate Motau over Seta panel claim 'Lying to Parliament' Nkabane 'lied' to parliament about the appointment of the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board chairs and 'must be fired', DA MP and portfolio committee member of education, Karabo Khakhau, told Ramaphosa in no uncertain terms last week. 'Mr President, you have a lying minister in your Cabinet, who has been caught red-handed. 'It is time for you to fire Minister Nobuhle Nkabane with immediate effect and to replace her with a minister committed to making higher education work, not committed to making work for ANC insiders,' Khakhau said. The minister was questioned by the portfolio committee on the composition of the panel tasked with appointing the chairs, and got into hot water when she told the committee that Advocate Terry Motau had chaired the process. Motau last week denied that he chaired the process, nor was he officially appointed as the panel chair. ALSO READ: 'A lying minister in Cabinet': Why has Ramaphosa not fired Nkabane?
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
DA plans to withhold support on some departmental budget votes as national budget deadline looms
CAPE TOWN - As Parliament heads into the final leg of the budget approval cycle, the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s plan to withhold support on some votes could cause another stumbling block in passing the Appropriation Bill, which apportions money to all national departments. It's the latest salvo fired by the party in response to the axing of its Eastern Cape leader, Andrew Whitfield, as the deputy minister of trade, industry and competition. But the fallout has not taken the DA to the brink of quitting the Government of National Unity (GNU). On Saturday, the party announced that it was withdrawing from the National Dialogue over what it said were double standards being applied by President Cyril Ramaphosa. READ: Steenhuisen labels removal of Andrew Whitfield as a 'calculated assault' by Ramaphosa Parliament will this week get stuck into a tight schedule of departmental budget vote debates as it races towards an end-of-July deadline to get the national budget passed. But DA leader John Steenhuisen said while his party would not reject the budget as a whole, ministers accused of corruption can't expect support from his party when it comes to approving money for their departments. "The ball is in the president and the African National Congress (ANC)'s court. If they want to take a strong stance against us, if they want to stop us from taking a strong stance against corruption, well then they must fire us from the Government of National Unity." READ: 'Even if the DA walks away, GNU will not collapse' - ANC's Mbalula Steenhuisen said that civil society should also rail against the National Dialogue until Ramaphosa fired what the party has termed "delinquents" from the executive. "The president has made a big deal this week about his prerogative. If he feels that we've done something wrong, and that standing up against corruption is something that deserves punishment, then he must exercise that prerogative." Steenhuisen said that tabling a motion of no confidence in the president's ability to deal with corruption was not off the table.
IOL News
3 hours ago
- IOL News
CYRIL DARES DA TO BOYCOTT NATIONAL DIALOGUE
DA MINISTERS intending to boycott the National Dialogue will have to provide President Cyril Ramaphosa with valid reasons for their non-attendance or their absence will be regarded as insubordination, says the Presidency. The Inter-Ministerial Committee(IMC) on the National Dialogue appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa includes DA leader John Steenhuisen as Agriculture Minister. Other members of the 12-member committee are its chair, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa (IFP), Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie (Patriotic Alliance) and Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso (PAC). 'Any member of Cabinet who wishes to no longer participate in the IMC will have to provide reasons to the President. Hopefully, they'll also think about the consequences of such insubordination. Because that's how the President will regard any non-participation as insubordination," said Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said. The National Dialogue aims to address South Africa's ongoing challenges, such as poverty, crime, inequality and unemployment, which continue despite 30 years of democracy. The DA announced its withdrawal after Ramaphosa refused to reverse his decision to fire its member Andrew Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition for traveling abroad without permission. On Saturday, Steenhuisen described the National Dialogue as an electioneering ploy, at taxpayer expense, to gloss over the serious crises that the ANC has plunged South Africa into. 'The Dialogue also has no constitutional standing whatsoever to take or impose decisions. Frankly, the President cannot even dialogue meaningfully with his own coalition partners, so there is little point in pretending there is any substance to an ANC-run National Dialogue.' Magwenya said the DA's boycott of the National Dialogue was immaterial because the initiative was not a party political exercise. 'It's an initiative for all South Africans and the DA is not all South Africans. Ministers who have been appointed to the National Dialogue IMC are expected to participate fully in the IMC, anything to the contrary will have to be explained to the President and non participation in the IMC as the President has directed will certainly constitute insubordination,' Magwenya added. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The ANC has weighed in on the DA's latest move, saying: "This response speaks volumes about the DA's character, they are willing to undermine national interests in pursuit of their narrow partisan agenda. The ANC firmly believes that this dialogue is not merely an event, it is a critical process in pursuit of social compacting, unity, and national renewal. At this juncture, it is imperative for the DA to clarify its stance: is it a genuine and principled partner in the GNU, or is it positioning itself as a quasi-opposition within the executive.' The GOOD Party, a member of the GNU, said the DA's decision to withdraw from the National Dialogue 'reflects a deep unwillingness to prioritise South Africa's collective future over party posturing'. 'This latest tantrum, triggered by the President's refusal to yield to an artificial 48-hour ultimatum, is not a principled stand - it is political theatre. The DA's ultimatum was exposed as inconsequential and their frequent tantrums are quite frankly embarrassing. South Africa does not need parties walking away from dialogue. It needs leadership that can engage with complexity, manage disagreement maturely, and stay the course. The DA's decision to abandon the National Dialogue, while clinging to its GNU positions, exposes the contradiction in its stance,' said GOOD secretary-general, Brett Herron. AL JAMA-AH, another member of the coalition government, said: 'The GNU has a clearing house to deal with disputes and infringes of the "statement of intent'. The GNU also has a Leaders Forum which AL JAMA-AH President Honourable Ganief Hendricks serves on. The Leader's Forum agreed to have a breakaway. It is within this structure, whereby the responsibility to resolve the DA's disputes has to be addressed. This includes whether or not by withdrawing from the National Dialogue the DA, is declaring itself outside of government or not. Nevertheless the DA has insulted the integrity of the most respected thought leaders in the country, clearly stating that their counsel is not welcome.' University of the Free Political Studies and Governance lecturer Sanet Solomon said the DA's moves in the GNU could damage its supporter base. "The DAs decision to withdraw itself from the National Dialogue sends a message to its supporters that it is 'actively standing up' against the ANC and that it is not passively going along with all its decisions. This display of ' showmanship' is just a facade as the party cannot leave the GNU without damaging its support base. 'Post May-2024 it (the DA) tried convincing voters that allying with the GNU would result in better governance and a reduction in corruption. Should it leave the GNU now, its voting base might revert to the FF+, the Good Party, the Patriotic Alliance and others as they may believe that the DA cannot co-govern with others. Should the DA stay, it would be stuck trying to convince its supporters that it has influence in the GNU's decision-making. Either way, they are stuck in a catch-22," said Solomon. Cape Times
