Cape Town – Deputy President Paul Mashatile has said that the Democratic Alliance (DA) must support the budget to remain in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Speaking at the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Legacy Business Breakfast, he emphasised that while the DA has expressed interest in staying in the GNU, their recent vote against Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget framework raises concerns.
With key financial bills, including the Appropriation Bill, still pending, Mashatile stressed that the government would work with those committed to the process.
“They must vote for the budget, they must come to support it. Remember we are not done, we were just voting for the fiscal framework. The Appropriation Bill is coming. There are a lot of money Bills that are lined up. Coming. So now that they have not voted for the fiscal framework, it set the tone of what they will do with the Appropriation Bill, Division of Revenue Bill. Those things are still coming. We will work with those who go all the way with us. We need the budget to get South Africa working,” he told SABC News.
The ANC’s National Working Committee is meeting to discuss the way forward.
ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has urged party members to remain calm as they deliberate on the future of the GNU.
He emphasised that the decision would prioritise the interests of South Africans rather than political divisions.
“We are going to have cool heads, we are going to sit back, examine everything properly without being driven by emotions and sectional interests. We will be driven by what is important for the people of South Africa,” EWN quoted Ramaphosa as saying.
Meanwhile, DA leader John Steenhuisen reiterated over the weekend, his party’s commitment to the GNU, emphasising that the DA does not seek to dominate the government despite not holding a 51% majority.
Speaking during a press briefing in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, he clarified that the DA fully accepts its role in the current political framework, acknowledging that the party does not have a majority to govern unilaterally.
“We don’t seek to dominate the government. We fully accept that we do not have a 51% majority. But equaly so, no other party has 51% in the government of national unity. And that means the parties have to work together, they have to compromise and they have to be allowed to have their voices heard loud and clear within that government,” he 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
“It is not sustainable to be a part of a government that cuts you out of key decision making areas – whether that is economic policy or foreign policy. The government of national unity is not a continuation of the 6th administration, it is a new government that reflect the will of the people.”
Steenhuisen stressed that the DA’s involvement in the GNU was a decision made for the benefit of the people of South Africa, underlining the party’s dedication to a genuine power-sharing relationship within the coalition.
“We are committed to the government of national unity and we entered the government of national unity because it was the right thing to do for the people of South Africa,” he said.
“But then, it has to become a genuine power-sharing relationship. It cannot simply be that only party says to another party that consensus means you agree with what we put on the table…”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
