DA clashes with Ramaphosa over dismissal but stays in coalition — for now
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has decided to remain part of South Africa's government of national unity despite rising tensions with President Cyril Ramaphosa over the recent dismissal of one of its deputy ministers.
On Saturday, DA leader John Steenhuisen expressed frustration with Ramaphosa's decision to fire Andrew Whitfield, the deputy minister of trade, industry and competition, who travelled to the United States without the president's permission.
While the party has chosen not to walk away from the unity government or call for a no-confidence vote at this stage, it has made clear its growing dissatisfaction. Speaking at a media briefing, Steenhuisen accused Ramaphosa of double standards.
He noted that in 2020, the president gave only a reprimand and salary deduction to then-minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who used a state plane to fly an ANC delegation to Zimbabwe. 'This inconsistency shows a lack of fairness,' Steenhuisen said.
Following Whitfield's removal, the DA gave Ramaphosa 48 hours to fire ministers Thembi Simelane, Nobuhle Nkabane, and deputy minister David Mahlobo over corruption allegations. The president declined, stating that he acted within his constitutional rights and would not respond to threats.
Although the ultimatum was ignored, the DA confirmed it would not withdraw from the government of national unity, warning that doing so could lead to a more unstable coalition that might include the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) or uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). 'Leaving would open the door to chaos,' Steenhuisen said. 'We entered this government to put South Africa first, and we still believe our presence is critical to prevent a coalition of destruction.'
Still, the DA pulled out of a planned national dialogue scheduled for August, calling it a political stunt with no real authority. The dialogue was meant to address key issues such as corruption, unemployment and gender-based violence.
Steenhuisen criticised the initiative as a wasteful exercise and accused the ANC of using it to distract from its failures. 'It's an election campaign disguised as a national consultation,' he said. He also warned that the DA's patience was wearing thin.
'We will not be kicked around. If the ANC wants to remove us for standing against corruption, then so be it,' he said.
While no immediate motion of no confidence will be brought against Ramaphosa, Steenhuisen confirmed that the option remains open.
The DA also plans to vote against upcoming budgets for departments led by ministers under suspicion of wrongdoing. Steenhuisen vowed to push for their removal and pledged to fight the continued misuse of public funds, including the more than R700 million allocated to the national dialogue.
As for Whitfield's trip to the US, Steenhuisen defended his colleague, saying it was a party-related visit funded by the DA, not the state.
The DA will nominate a new deputy minister to replace Whitfield in line with the coalition agreement.'We are here to serve South Africa, but that means mutual respect and a real commitment to fighting corruption,' Steenhuisen said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Citizen
31 minutes ago
- The Citizen
'It's president prerogative to redeploy',Nkabane says
Nkabane has come under fire after being embroiled in allegations of corruption and other issues. Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Nobuhle Nkabane at the official launch of the National Skills Fund (NSF) Disabilities Programme Phase I at Blind SA on 29 November 2024 in Alberton, South Africa. Picture: Gallo Images/Fani Mahuntsi As calls grow for Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane to be removed for failing to deliver on the department's basic responsibilities, the minister said it is the prerogative of President Cyril Ramaphosa to redeploy her. Nkabane has come under fire after being embroiled in allegations of corruption and the illegal appointment of the Seta board, including accusations that she misled Parliament by providing false information about the procedure for appointing Seta chairs — a list dominated by ANC cadres — and about the composition of the panel that made the appointments. Calls for removal On Sunday, the South African Students Congress (Sasco) called for the immediate removal of Nkabane. It is the third organisation to call for the minister's axing, after the EFF and the DA also lodged complaints against her. ALSO READ: WATCH: Sasco calls for immediate removal of Minister Nobuhle Nkabane 'Not much to say' Speaking to the media on Monday, Nkabane said she did not have 'much to say'. 'Basically, there's nothing that I can say because it is the prerogative of the president to appoint and redeploy, so I cannot say anything. However, what I believe in is that we have an open-door policy as the department, and we do have a stakeholder engagement framework where we engage our stakeholders from time to time if there are any concerns. 'I'm still waiting for them to come and raise their concerns within the frameworks and the protocols of government because they did not come to me to raise those issues. I saw some of their concerns that they were raising yesterday through their media briefings,' Nkabane said. Criticism Nkabane said she welcomes criticism. 'We believe it is criticism that is going to make us grow and grow as we learn'. Nkabane said her department is ready to table the budget vote on Thursday, despite the DA stating it would not be voting because the minister is implicated in scandals. 'I wouldn't say they are correct or incorrect for raising their views. Everyone has a right to raise their views and opinions. However, we are preparing for the budget vote on Thursday, and we are ready as a department to table our budget vote in parliament and NCOP, so we are not shaken'. ALSO READ: 'Reputational discomfort': Minister apologises to Advocate Motau over Seta panel claim 'Lying to Parliament' Nkabane 'lied' to parliament about the appointment of the Sector Education and Training Authority (Seta) board chairs and 'must be fired', DA MP and portfolio committee member of education, Karabo Khakhau, told Ramaphosa in no uncertain terms last week. 'Mr President, you have a lying minister in your Cabinet, who has been caught red-handed. 'It is time for you to fire Minister Nobuhle Nkabane with immediate effect and to replace her with a minister committed to making higher education work, not committed to making work for ANC insiders,' Khakhau said. The minister was questioned by the portfolio committee on the composition of the panel tasked with appointing the chairs, and got into hot water when she told the committee that Advocate Terry Motau had chaired the process. Motau last week denied that he chaired the process, nor was he officially appointed as the panel chair. ALSO READ: 'A lying minister in Cabinet': Why has Ramaphosa not fired Nkabane?
Eyewitness News
2 hours ago
- Eyewitness News
DA plans to withhold support on some departmental budget votes as national budget deadline looms
CAPE TOWN - As Parliament heads into the final leg of the budget approval cycle, the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s plan to withhold support on some votes could cause another stumbling block in passing the Appropriation Bill, which apportions money to all national departments. It's the latest salvo fired by the party in response to the axing of its Eastern Cape leader, Andrew Whitfield, as the deputy minister of trade, industry and competition. But the fallout has not taken the DA to the brink of quitting the Government of National Unity (GNU). On Saturday, the party announced that it was withdrawing from the National Dialogue over what it said were double standards being applied by President Cyril Ramaphosa. READ: Steenhuisen labels removal of Andrew Whitfield as a 'calculated assault' by Ramaphosa Parliament will this week get stuck into a tight schedule of departmental budget vote debates as it races towards an end-of-July deadline to get the national budget passed. But DA leader John Steenhuisen said while his party would not reject the budget as a whole, ministers accused of corruption can't expect support from his party when it comes to approving money for their departments. "The ball is in the president and the African National Congress (ANC)'s court. If they want to take a strong stance against us, if they want to stop us from taking a strong stance against corruption, well then they must fire us from the Government of National Unity." READ: 'Even if the DA walks away, GNU will not collapse' - ANC's Mbalula Steenhuisen said that civil society should also rail against the National Dialogue until Ramaphosa fired what the party has termed "delinquents" from the executive. "The president has made a big deal this week about his prerogative. If he feels that we've done something wrong, and that standing up against corruption is something that deserves punishment, then he must exercise that prerogative." Steenhuisen said that tabling a motion of no confidence in the president's ability to deal with corruption was not off the table.
IOL News
2 hours ago
- IOL News
‘Firing Nkabane alone is unfair, Simelane, Ntshavheni must go too,' says analyst
SASCO and political parties push for Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane's dismissal, but one political expert says other corrupt accused ministers should also be held accountable. Image: Twitter The South African Students Congress (SASCO) has joined a growing number of voices calling for the removal of Higher Education Minister Dr. Nobuhle Nkabane, but one political analyst says she should not be fired alone while other ministers accused of corruption remain. SASCO, which has joined parties such as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the Democratic Alliance (DA), has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to dismiss Nkabane. Nkabane is facing mounting allegations of corruption and misleading Parliament about the process used to appoint the SETA board members - a list which was dominated by African National Congress (ANC) affiliates, including the son of Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, Buyambo. Addressing the media on Sunday, SASCO President Alungile Amtshe said Nkabane had failed students on multiple fronts, including by failing to appoint a National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). "The crisis facing students today is not incidental. It is the direct result of poor governance by the Department of Higher Education and Training and the opportunistic, malicious, and poor bourgeoisie agenda by the university and college management," Amtshe said. 'We contend that DHET, led by Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, within the government of national unity, has consistently failed to deliver on its most basic responsibilities - from the catastrophic delays in NSFAS disbursements to the flawed appointment of strategic boards meant to accelerate access to education and training.' Amtshe also criticised the chronic underfunding of institutions that serve working-class communities and accused university managers of treating higher education as a profit-driven enterprise. 'These managements are complicit in the systemic exclusion of Black and working-class students, perpetuating a two-tier education system that serves capital, not the people,' he said. He added that SASCO has no choice but to take a 'drastic stance' and called for Nkabane's immediate removal. Meanwhile, political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu told IOL News that calls for Nkabane's firing appear selective, pointing out that other ministers implicated in corruption allegations remain in office. 'There have been mounting calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to fire Nkabane, but what are they saying about Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane? It will be unfair to focus on Nkabane while ignoring others,' Mngomezulu said. Simelane, while mayor of Polokwane, allegedly took out a R575,600 loan from the now-defunct VBS Mutual Bank to purchase a Sandton coffee shop. She has since denied any wrongdoing and was later moved from the Justice and Constitutional Development Ministry to Human Settlements. Simelane also faced scrutiny for alleged inflated billing linked to a R700,000 Eskom contract, which she vehemently denied. Another minister under fire is Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the minister in the presidency, who was under the Hawks investigation for R2.5 million in alleged tender fraud dating back to her time in the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, in Limpopo. She has not responded to the allegations. However, ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has defended her, saying the party would only respond when it has 'something tangible.' The controversy intensified following public outcry in May after Nkabane recommended several politically connected individuals for the SETA boards. In addition to Buyambo, those who were appointed included former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr. Nomusa Dube-Ncube, provincial transport official Siboniso Mbhele, and ANC Johannesburg Deputy Regional Secretary Loyiso Masuku. Critics have accused Nkabane of political patronage and misleading Parliament regarding the selection process.
