Cape Town – ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) will convene on Monday to discuss the next steps regarding the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Mashatile made the statement on Sunday after delivering the Solomon Mahlangu lecture in Khayelitsha, an event that drew significant attention amid ongoing political discussions surrounding the country’s governance.
The Government of National Unity (GNU) is grappling with another setback following last week’s vote in Parliament, where the DA and FF+ opposed Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2025 national budget.
In response, angry ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) members are demanding the expulsion of the DA and FF+ from the GNU, accusing them of “betraying” the ANC during the passage of the 2025 fiscal framework.
While Mashatile did not delve into specific details, his remarks suggested that the ANC is assessing its position and strategy regarding the GNU.
“We will hear from the NWC what we should do. As you know, when we were in Parliament, they (DA) didn’t vote for the budget, and we passed the budget with other parties, the fiscal framework.
[WATCH] ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile says the party’s National Working Committee will meet on Monday to discuss the way forward regarding the GNU. He was speaking after delivering the Solomon Mahlangu lecture in Khayelitsha on the Cape Flats. pic.twitter.com/v1Q3r7yWr6
— SABC News (@SABCNews) April 6, 2025
“We’re still going to go back, we have to pass the Expropriation Act and other laws and so on. The NWC is only meeting tomorrow [Monday] to get this report, and after its deliberation, it will say what should happen next,” Mashatile said.
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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Source: Betha Madhomu
