Ramaphosa Draws the Line as ANC-DA Coalition Faces Collapse Over Budget Vote

South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU) is teetering on the edge of collapse as tensions between the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) reach a breaking point following the DA’s refusal to back the latest budget vote.

President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC leaders have pushed back against mounting pressure from business leaders, who have urged the two major parties to “stay the course” for the sake of economic stability. But within ANC ranks, frustrations have peaked.

“The ANC is really gatvol,” said a senior party official based at Luthuli House.

ANC chief whip Mdumiseni Ntuli made it clear that the DA’s actions could no longer be overlooked:

“There has been a fatal mistake and there must be consequences… You can’t have Cabinet ministers voting against a major national decision agreed by Cabinet.”

DA’s Budget Rebellion Triggers Coalition Crisis

The DA’s decision to vote against the second Budget has sparked outrage within the ANC caucus. Insiders suggest that many in the ruling party now see the coalition with the DA as untenable.

President Ramaphosa has reportedly told DA leader John Steenhuisen that the DA must “work their way out” of the cul-de-sac they’ve entered. “You can’t have your cake and eat it,” he told Steenhuisen, underlining the contradiction of being both in government and in opposition.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile echoed that sentiment in a closed-door caucus meeting:

“If they don’t support the Budget, they don’t deserve to be in the GNU… They are firing themselves out.”

Business Community’s Plea Falls Flat

A recent letter from prominent business leaders called on the ANC and DA to prioritize unity and national progress, warning that the breakdown of the GNU could harm investor confidence and worsen unemployment.

But Ramaphosa was unflinching in his response.

“Business does not dictate what happens in government,” he said at an ANC event on Sunday. “We make our own decisions… the ANC will not be influenced by what business says.”

Ntuli went further, saying that some in the ANC viewed the letter’s tone as dismissive of the party’s capacity to govern without the DA.

“What the letter is saying is business believes the state has no capacity without the DA… In any engagement with business, I would like to raise what I see as partisan considerations.”

A Fracturing Pact and Political Alternatives

With six DA Cabinet ministers defying the budget vote, ANC insiders question the point of continuing the alliance.

“What role do they have in government if they don’t support the work of government?” asked an official close to Mashatile.

While business leaders continue to see the ANC-DA partnership as the “best bet” for economic recovery, ANC MPs are considering alternative alliances, including a more pragmatic pact with other parties like the EFF or ActionSA.

“We’ve got options,” one ANC MP stated. “The DA is too far from us ideologically, and many MPs feel they are more destructive than constructive.”

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula was blunt:

“The GNU will not collapse if they [the DA] leave. It is them who have put themselves in this position.”

The End of the Road?

Whether this moment marks the final act in the ANC-DA coalition remains to be seen. But the budget rebellion has changed the tone — and possibly the trajectory — of South Africa’s fragile political consensus.

With pressure rising from within the ANC, and a president unwilling to cave to outside influence, the DA may soon find itself on the outside looking in.

{Source Daily Maverick}

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