GNU under strain as DA and FF Plus respond to ANC

The DA and the Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) have fired back at the ANC after its Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula suggested that they could leave the Government of National Unity (GNU) if they wished to do so. 

Mbalula's comments came after the DA voted against the ANC's budget proposal, which included a VAT hike, sparking a heated debate between all the parties involved in the coalition government.

Parties inside the GNU, apart from the DA and the FF Plus, supported the ANC in narrowly passing the Budget at the National Assembly in Cape Town last week.  

Other smaller parties outside the GNU including Action SA and Build One South Africa (Bosa) also helped the ANC to cross the line, passing the fiscal framework, on the condition that there must be further engagement to search for other possibilities to substitute the VAT hike.

Following the May 2024 elections where no party won an outright majority, the GNU was formed which resulted in an arrangement that included the ANC, DA, FF Plus, IFP and other smaller parties.

DA leader John Steenhuisen reasserted the party's commitment to the GNU, emphasising that its' primary goal is to grow the country's economy and create jobs. 

"We remain fully committed to this goal," Steenhuisen said. 

"To achieve this, the ANC must now demonstrate that it is equally committed to the spirit and substance of sharing power, which is a natural consequence of the last election,” Steenhuisen said.

He added that the country needed an era of co-governance built on implementing bold, pro-growth reforms that create jobs and restores fiscal stability. 

“That is why the DA signed the Statement of Intent and entered the GNU — we wanted shared governance that prioritises delivery and economic recovery over political convenience,” Steenhuisen said.

He said that the DA had not gone outside of the GNU to lobby support for its position “which is what the ANC did, defining itself outside the GNU".

The DA said it has also placed a comprehensive set of proposals before President Cyril Ramaphosa to unlock growth and jobs, which it says it is ready to implement.

The FF Plus has expressed concerns that the ANC is using the GNU to co-opt other parties rather than working towards a genuine collaborative government. 

"The FF Plus wants to be part of a GNU whereby the country’s problems are effectively addressed, and the ideals and needs of Afrikaners and other minorities in SA are met," the party stated through its leader Dr. Corné Mulder.

"The party will not let the decisions or actions of another party affect its own decision-making…the FF Plus did not join the GNU to gain some title or position. 

"Its continued participation in the GNU is based solely on the question of whether it benefits Afrikaners and other minorities in SA or not,” Mulder said.

Mulder further warned that if the plan was to proceed with the GNU in the fashion that the ANC was handling, its chances of success were extremely slim.

“Nothing from their side demonstrates a commitment to being part of a constructive new beginning with the aim of resolving SA's economic crisis of virtually no growth, enormous unemployment, decline and stagnation,” Mulder said.

 The ANC has maintained that it was committed to the GNU, but also stressed that it could proceed without the DA if necessary.

Mbalula speaking at a press conference after his party’s National Working Committee meeting this week said: "We are not beholden to the DA, we are beholden to the country. The DA can walk tonight if they want to…let them walk. We managed to pass the budget without the DA."

mashudu.sadike@inl.co.za