South Africa’s DA party quits ‘national dialogue’ initiative

The person of the party, John Steenhuisen, said the inaugural was a ‘waste of clip and money’.

South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) enactment has withdrawn from a “national dialogue” inaugural aft the person of the enactment referred to it arsenic thing much than a “waste of clip and money”.

John Steenhuisen said connected Saturday that corruption was plaguing the government, which helium blamed connected President Cyril Ramaphosa, but stopped abbreviated of leaving the coalition.

“Nothing volition alteration successful South Africa for the amended if we support the aforesaid radical astir the furniture array who person progressive themselves successful corruption,” Steenhuisen said during a quality conference.

Following past year’s wide election, wherever Ramaphosa’s African National Congress mislaid its parliamentary bulk for the archetypal clip successful three decades, it was forced to squad up with the DA, the second-biggest party, to signifier a authorities called the Government of National Unity (GNU).

The 2 parties are ideologically different, however.

The DA is market-friendly and right-leaning, portion the ANC is simply a centre-left party, leaving the 2 sides to repeatedly clash implicit issues specified arsenic the fund and Black empowerment laws.

Last month, Ramaphosa launched a process to unite the country, referred to arsenic a “national dialogue”, to code the astir important issues affecting South Africa, including precocious unemployment and crime.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attends a quality conference, successful Washington, DC, United States, connected May 21, 2025 [Leah Millis/Reuters]

‘All bets are off’

Adding to the tensions, connected Thursday, Ramaphosa fired DA lawman curate Andrew Whitfield from his presumption owed to an unauthorised overseas travel to the United States.

Steenhuisen denounced that determination and said Whitfield had sent written requests for the trip, which had been ignored by Ramaphosa.

In an ultimatum, Steenhuisen said that the ANC indispensable occurrence Thembi Simelane, Nobuhle Nkabane and different ANC members who look corruption allegations successful 48 hours, different “all bets are disconnected and the consequences volition beryllium theirs to bear”.

On Friday, a connection from the presidency said the determination to sack the curate was owed to a “clear usurpation of the rules and established practices” for ministers.

“Let it beryllium wide that the President shall not output to threats and ultimatums, particularly coming from members of the Executive that helium has the prerogative to name successful accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa,” the presidency added.