DA leader John Steenhuisen says there’s no decision yet on whether the party will stay or leave the government of national unity (GNU).
While DA leader John Steenhuisen says there’s no decision yet on whether the party will stay or leave the government of national unity (GNU), the ANC is reportedly forging ahead with a new GNU after the DA and FF+’s “budget ‘betrayal”.
The DA voted against Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2025 national budget last week and has launched a legal challenge against the implementation of the VAT hike.
DA ‘committed’ to GNU
Speaking to the media during a by-election campaign in eThekwini on Saturday, DA leader John Steenhuisen said despite the fight against the VAT increase his party remains committed to the GNU.
“The DA also entered government to be part of government and not be mere spectators. We need to be in the wheelhouse of government where we can determine the economic direction of the country, not just swapping the decks down below.
“We don’t seek to dominate the government, we fully accept that we do not have a 51% majority… Let me be very clear, we are committed to the government of national unity, and we entered the government of national unity because we think it is the right thing to do for the people of South Africa, Steenhuisen said.
[WATCH] Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen says, The DA does not seek to dominate the government; they fully accept that they do not have a 51% majority. He adds that they are committed to the Government of National Unity. pic.twitter.com/eiTOaEvF7e
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 5, 2025
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Punishment
However, the ANC is not happy with the majority of NEC members calling for the DA and FF+ to be punished and replaced with other parties.
The future of the DA and the FF+ was supposed to be a topic of discussion at a cancelled special NEC meeting this week.
“Furious ANC NEC members are calling for the party to eject the DA and FF+ from the GNU after accusing them of betraying them during the passing of the 2025 fiscal framework,” according to the City Press.
Cabinet reconfiguration
NEC members who spoke to paper to the news organisation on Saturday said the DA and FF+ were going to be replaced by ActionSA and other smaller parties that voted for the budget to be passed.
The ejection of the DA and FF+ would result in a reconfiguration of the Cabinet. Insiders said all the DA and FF+ ministers, deputy ministers and chairs of portfolio committees were going to be replaced.
In response to the DA’s decision to vote against the budget, the ANC called an urgent special NEC meeting, which was scheduled to take place on Monday.
However, the officials were informed of the cancellation of the meeting on Friday evening after the ANC and DA started talking on Friday.
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DA legal action
According to sources who spoke to the publication, the only way the DA will be allowed to be part of the GNU is if it can withdraw the court action that challenges the passing of the budget, among other things.
The NEC member was adamant that the meeting would take place before the end of the week.
“We are going to eject the DA. That is not a debate because we cannot have a party that voted against the budget and went to court and [then] be expected to be part of implementing the same budget. By allowing them to still form part of this GNU, it would be asking for sabotage because they are going to work against us, and it’s a recipe for disaster,” said the source.
Steenhuisen’s spokesperson Charity McCord told The Citizen there was no comment yet on whether the DA will drop the legal action
“No comment until the leader and FedEx deliberate on the way forward.”
ActionSA joining GNU
The source said the party would discuss the issue and offer ActionSA and other minority parties who have agreed to be part of the GNU the opportunity to join.
Last week, ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, whose party voted with the ANC to pass the budget, said in the event that President Cyril Ramaphosa invited his party to be part of the Cabinet, it would gladly accept the position.
“In the event that the ANC so desire, because it’s not our decision, it’s the president’s prerogative to put together the Cabinet. He’s already been elected as the president of the country, so the entire prerogative is with the president to decide on a new Cabinet.
“If it does happen that he invites ActionSA to be part of that government, we will gladly participate in ensuring that we keep our country stable,” Mashaba said.
This marks a stark contrast from his previous stance when he firmly rejected any suggestions that ActionSA should join the GNU.
Reconsideration
ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip, during a media briefing this week, also said the party would reconsider if it was asked to join the GNU.
“If the DA leaves the GNU, or if they are kicked out of the GNU, we will reconsider our position because the DA is good at opposition,” Trollip said.
“The opposition space is suddenly disproportionately full, and the government space might be limited. So, we will re-evaluate. We will do that, but only once this VAT matter is sorted.”
Trollip, however said there had been no communication with the ANC over a reconfiguration of the GNU as yet.
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