Cape Town — Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, John Steenhuisen, has said that his party wants to play a meaningful role in the Government of National Unity (GNU) and not to be on the outskirts.
The DA entered into an unlikely coalition with the African National Congress (ANC) after it failed to secure a majority rule at the 2024 elections.
A GNU was established and also includes the likes of the Patriotic Alliance (PA), the Pan African Congress (PAC) and the Good Party.
As the country’s second-biggest party, the DA has plenty to gain from the GNU and Steenhuisen said the DA intends to play an important role in shaping the future of South Africa.
“We would like to play a meaningful role in government. We are not going to be confined to the fringes. We made it very clear in our election manifesto that there were a number of key areas that we felt were essential for South Africa to resolve over the next five years if we are to get the country moving forward.” Steenhuisen said.
Steenhuisen said the party would seek portfolios to give effect to those things, and said it is important to bring key issues like load shedding and violent crime to an end, and to build a state with public servants who work for the people of South Africa. He said the DA can work with the ANC.
“It’s very important that we meld the policies together and we do have a coherent plan for government over the next five years and we start getting working on. There’s 30 million people in poverty, there’s 42% of people unemployed, we’ve got to do something about it and we’ve got to do it now,” he said.
DA leader John Steenhuisen speaks to the media at the Inauguration of President Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings. He explains how they will work with the ANC to advance the country’s future.
Read more here: https://t.co/Uc0R5mTrW9#inaguration2024
Video: Kamogelo Moichela/IOL pic.twitter.com/3X78oLN0cD— IOL News (@IOL) June 19, 2024
According to TimesLIVE, the DA are eyeing crucial posts in the Cabinet and he said the positions are key to advancing South Africa. He also responded to the criticism the party faced after it joined the GNU.
“They saw this as an opportunity in this election, where the ANC lost its majority, to come in with their anti-constitutionalist tendencies,” he said, adding the DA did not take the criticism seriously. The reality is that the democratic centre has held at a time when the constitution needed to be entrenched and defended.”” he said,
“Our country is in a deep crisis with massive unemployment, huge poverty, corruption, maladministration. It is up to all of us to get South Africa out of this trajectory and get it working.” he added.
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
