Dear Editor
One year into the GNU, we see an interesting phenomenon play out constantly: the DA stands up to the ANC in the interests of a better South Africa, and each time we do, small parties come to the rescue of the ANC.
This has been true of the dysfunctional clearing house mechanism, the VAT hike, and now the fight against corrupt ANC ministers in cabinet.
In each instance, the DA fought for what is right, but found the ANC patronage machine had buttered up small parties to come to their rescue, both within and outside the GNU.
The most prominent instance of this was the proposal to hike the VAT rate by 2% and the subsequent fight. Prior to the cabinet meeting, the GNU leaders had met at the request of President Ramaphosa to be appraised of the VAT hike.
Multiple small party leaders had acquiesced with the refrain being “we don’t like it but we will support it.” It fell to DA leader John Steenhuisen to oppose it upfront, and by the time cabinet met the DA led the charge to get budget 1.0 scrapped. Similarly, during the fight around VAT on budget 2.0, it became clear that the DA’s demands on growth and job reforms was being ignored, leading to a breakdown in negotiations and the DA voting against the budget.
However, the ANC had gone outside the GNU and found support to raise VAT, which passed by 6 votes, as small parties, one after the other, voted with the ANC or absented themselves, licking their lips at the opportunity to join the ANC gravy train.
Now that President Ramaphosa has shown he may have a spine by firing Andrew Whitfield as a Deputy Minister (obsenstibly for taking a private trip four months ago that was funded by the DA and had nothing to do with public funds), it is only right that the President is placed under pressure to clean up corruption inside his own cabinet.
In the last few months, grave allegations of corruption have surfaced against Minister Simelane and Minister Nkabane.
If Ramaphosa truly understands that the ANC lost the 2024 elections and lacks a majority, and requires the confidence of his GNU partners to govern, he would act against these Ministers.
The DA did not demand the reinstatement of our Deputy Minister precisely because we are more focused on applying pressure onto Mr Ramaphosa to show South Africa that there are no double standards, and that, since he is now capable of dismissing people, he should be dismissing corrupt ANC ministers in the national interest.
It does not serve South Africa to have individuals that are deeply compromised at the helm of government delivery and procurement.
True to form, however, micro parties, opportunistic as ever, have been lining up to relieve the pressure that the DA is exerting on the ANC over corruption.
Mmusi Maimane of BOSA has already come out swinging against the DA for taking on the President over corruption, and the Patriotic Alliance MPs have said in budget debates they will support the budgets of corrupt Ministers.
What these parties are doing is acting as political mercenaries, knowing that if they succeed in having the DA removed from the GNU, they will be able to get into ministries, where they too can enjoy the same corrupt relationship with the state that the ANC has built up.
These popcorn parties have learnt how to extract patronage in our metros, leading to the collapse of delivery in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, and now wish to bring this into national government.
It is now clear to the DA that in the battle against corruption, we have few allies, but many enemies.
In the political landscape, it is a battle we will be fighting on our own.
In government, it is abundantly clear that only the DA is interested in using our positions nationally, in the Western Cape and in local government to dismantle corrupt networks and instill good governance and positive audit outcomes.
For most micro-parties, government is about protecting the ANC while benefiting from the corrupt architecture that the ANC has built.
For as long as the ANC can rely on these parties to resist real change, they will continue to behave with arrogance, and the DA, alone, will continue to drive public pressure and legal recourse to force both the ANC and its allies to adhere to the rule of law.
The ANC, with the help of these popcorn parties, is putting party (ANC) before the country.
The DA is clear: we will fight against and expose corruption, we will demand accountability, and will put South Africa first whilst these popcorn parties are positioning themselves to be co-opted by the ANC into the GNU.
Voters will see through the cheap and opportunistic plans of popcorn parties and will deal with them decisively at the upcoming local government elections next year.
Regards
Dr Ivan Meyer
Federal Chairperson of the Democratic Alliance