DA's Zille says working with ANC in GNU a culture shock
This week, following threats not to support some departments during Parliament's budget votes, the DA voted in favour of the Appropriations Bill.
ALSO READ: Politricking | DA will walk away 'only when it's the least bad option', says Helen Zille
The bill was the last hurdle the Government of National Unity (GNU) needed to pass in order to get the 2025/2026 proposed budget passed.
A series of spats between the ANC and DA, most recently around the budget, have characterised the year-long multiparty coalition.
Zille, speaking on EWN's Politricking with Tshidi Madia , said the ANC has held up its end of the bargain throughout the national partnership
'Where we were naive is that we expect certain elements to be taken for granted in relationships. We believe that people give their word, then stick to their word. We believe that people sign a document, then they fulfil their obligation under that document. We believe that people we agree on certain mechanisms of meetings and others and people will bring their part responsibly and with commit to the process.'
The DA federal council chairperson said, despite frustrations with the ANC, the DA will remain in the GNU for the foreseeable future.
Zille, using the recent firing of Dr Nobuhle Nkabane as Minister of Higher Education to make a point, the DA is constantly weighing its options when it comes to the continued participation in the GNU.
'There are always 6 or 7 options - you can do nothing, walk away, and everything in between. We decided it wasn't something we should bring the government down necessarily, we should say to the president, 'Okay, we are not going to participate in the National Dialogue because you can't have a dialogue with us, number 1; Number 2, we will not vote for [Thembi] Simelani or Nkabane's budgets.' It's very simple.'
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