Cape Town – The ANC and DA are reported in a standoff over the DA’s demands for the deputy president position and control of key economic clusters in the government of national unity (GNU).
According to The Citizen, the ANC is close to giving the DA an ultimatum to accept certain Cabinet portfolios or leave the GNU.
The DA’s insistence on these demands has led to a deadlock, potentially delaying the announcement of the GNU Cabinet, the report said.
ANC insiders said they would rather part ways with the DA than fire deputy president Paul Mashatile. The DA’s demands include 10 ministerial portfolios, with John Steenhuisen as deputy president, and key economic departments.
The DA’s demand for No 2 will not happen – period,” the report quoted an insider as saying.
Most ANC members view the DA as being unreasonable, while some believe the ANC has little choice but to negotiate.
“The ANC is at its weakest and does not negotiate from a strong standpoint, but the DA is flexible. If it’s not deputy president, at least the minister in the Presidency must be given to it. It would be foolish and unreasonable for the ANC to refuse the DA both positions,” he said.
“To secure Mashatile as the deputy president, the president must give the DA the minister in the Presidency, [which] is very powerful – it’s basically the ‘premier minister’,” one ANC member said, according to the report.
According to SABC, DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille insisted that the ANC must recognise the DA as a crucial partner and grant it significant influence in the upcoming national executive cabinet.
Zille said that the DA should not merely support the ANC but have real power to improve South Africans’ lives.
“We can’t be held to ransom. I mean the DA is a very serious partner in this. We can’t just be a walking stick to help the ANC continue as it has done before. We have to be able to have some real influence and power in the government to make life better for South Africans,” the report quoted Zille as saying.
Since the GNU’s establishment, ten political parties, including the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), GOOD Party, Patriotic Alliance (PA), Pan African Congress (PAC), United Democratic Movement (UDM), Freedom Front Plus (FF PLUS), and Al Jama-ah, have joined, with Rise Mzansi being the latest addition.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
