Cape Town – Democratic Alliance (DA) federal council chairperson Helen Zille has announced that her party had made progress in its legal challenge against the VAT increase, but the matter was not yet resolved.
Zille addressed the media in Parliament on Thursday morning after the National Treasury reversed its decision to implement a 0.5% VAT increase.
Accordin to EWN, she said that the DA now awaited a full settlement proposal from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and the Treasury.
Zille also noted that Parliament must agree to an out-of-court settlement and determine how to proceed with the fiscal framework without the VAT increase.
She emphasised that while the DA was close to victory, the process was still ongoing.
Helen Zille, Federal Chair of the DA, says that it was their court action that forced the finance minister to reverse the VAT hike. pic.twitter.com/9ldlEgNs4C
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) April 24, 2025
Zille also expressed uncertainty about the party’s future in the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the ANC cancelled a key coalition meeting, The Citizen reported.
She criticised the ANC for excluding the DA from a press conference with smaller parties and called the ANC an untrustworthy partner, accusing it of repeated deception.
“What the future is going to be for the GNU is something that I cannot categorically answer now. A lot will depend on what happens today [Thursday].
“There is no doubt that the ANC and the smaller parties will hold a press conference to triumph these kinds of discussions and negotiations as if that is what led to the Minister backing down when he said last week he wouldn’t,” the report quoted Zille as saying.
[WATCH] DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille says the smaller parties will want to claim victory (for the reversal of the proposed VAT hike) and the minister will credit them because he wants to save face. #Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/5ht0GbcDmo
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) April 24, 2025
