<\/p>\n
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa\u2019s second-biggest political party, remains \u201c100%\u201d committed to remaining in the ruling coalition, even though it isn\u2019t functioning as intended, its new leader said.<\/p>\n
President Cyril Ramaphosa established the so-called government of national unity after his party, the African National Congress, lost its parliamentary majority in 2024 for the first time since taking power at the end of apartheid three decades earlier. While the 10-member coalition\u2019s focus on growing the economy has cheered investors and bolstered the nation\u2019s assets, the ANC and DA have clashed over tax, land and education policy.<\/p>\n
The GNU\u2019s members signed a statement of intent under which they agreed to reach \u201csufficient consensus\u201d on key decisions, but it isn\u2019t being adhered to, Geordin Hill-Lewis, who was elected DA leader in April, said in an interview in Cape Town last week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no genuine policy debate and attempt to find compromise and give and take,\u201d he said. \u201cBasically, the ANC continues to just barrel along, so we need to be able to have the freedom to say that we disagree with this, this is not a GNU position because you haven\u2019t spoken to us about this, this is not a negotiated position or a compromised position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill-Lewis nonetheless views the coalition as South Africa\u2019s best opportunity in years to revive an economy that has expanded by less than 1% a year on average for more than a decade. He warned that its collapse could push the ANC into an alliance with former President Jacob Zuma\u2019s uMkhonto weSizwe Party or Julius Malema\u2019s Economic Freedom Fighters, both of which advocate the nationalization of mines and banks.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think we have a moral responsibility to the country to try to prevent an EFF-MKP government,\u201d he said. \u201cThat may not be possible, it may actually come to pass, but we should do everything possible to avoid it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramaphosa has repeatedly said the GNU is working well, telling lawmakers in his state-of-the-nation address in February that its formation showed \u201cit is possible for South Africans to come together from across the political spectrum to work on a common agenda.\u201d The president noted that the nation\u2019s economic outlook had improved, public debt had stabilized and the rand and stock markets had performed well since its inception.<\/p>\n
Hill-Lewis said he is open to negotiating with whoever emerges as the ANC\u2019s leader after the party\u2019s internal elections late next year, even though the outcome remains unclear. Even so, he was sharply critical of the ANC, an indication that tensions persist between the two biggest parties despite public discord having been relatively muted for several months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have no ideas for how to turn around the country, they have no fresh insights,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The DA leader is also irked that draft legislation which proposes that parties be required to reach a minimum threshold of votes to secure seats in municipal councils has stalled in parliament and is unlikely to be processed before Nov. 4 local-government elections. The measure would simplify the process of forming coalitions in towns where there isn\u2019t an outright winner, and ensure smaller parties don\u2019t wield outsize influence, as has happened in cities such as Johannesburg.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a source of frustration that it is taking this long\u201d even though the main parties agree on the law in principle, he said. \u201cI really can\u2019t explain the delay.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill-Lewis, 39, has served as the mayor of Cape Town since 2021, and intends to seek reelection in November, rather than joining the cabinet and placing himself in a position where he may have to show deference to the president.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to work for the next three years to make sure that the DA is a stronger party and that the millions of voters who are disaffected with the ANC see us as a viable alternative political home,\u201d he said. \u201cI know that it\u2019s extremely optimistic, but I\u2019m going to work\u201d for the DA to be the largest party after the 2029 national elections, he said.<\/p>\n
The DA garnered 22% support in the 2024 vote and the ANC 40%.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#South #Africas #commits #coalition #clashes #ANC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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