ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has hit back at suggestions that the party is beholden to the Democratic Alliance (DA), saying it awaits “divorce papers” from the blue party or an explanation of how it can stay in the government of national unity (GNU) after voting against the fiscal framework.
The ANC has faced criticism of being controlled by its biggest partner in the coalition and tension escalated last week after the DA joined opposition parties in voting against adopting the revised framework in parliament, raising doubts about its continued participation in the GNU.
Mbalula told a media briefing on Tuesday that the 10-party coalition would remain intact even if the DA chose to exit. He said the ANC was loyal to the GNU, and not the DA, which he accused of undermining the grouping by politicking to extend the budget impasse.
He also dismissed the notion that the ANC was planning a cabinet reshuffle to purge DA ministers or was deliberately pushing the party out. Instead, Mbalula laid the blame at the DA’s door, saying the party must decide whether it still wished to govern in coalition with the ANC.
“If the ANC tomorrow takes a decision that we are abandoning the GNU, we are out — it is the ANC’s decision. The DA must then answer the question, not us,” Mbalula said. “If you are part of a government, and you don’t agree with the budget, how do you continue to sit there? It’s a logical question.”
He added that the ANC remained committed to the coalition government, established after the May 2024 general elections produced a hung parliament.
“We are loyal to the GNU because, to us, it is about South Africa. It’s not about patchwork coalitions for convenience,” he said.
Mbalula echoed the sentiments of party deputy president Paul Mashatile on Monday in Johannesburg, saying the DA needed to decide whether it can support recently enacted laws that are aligned with the ANC, including the controversial National Health Insurance Act and the Expropriation Act.
“Those bills [laws] are here to stay. When we negotiated with parties to form the GNU, there was no agreement to review or scrap laws passed by parliament. The president has signed them and that’s it,” Mbalula said.
On Monday, Mashatile said the DA only had one choice if it wished to remain in the GNU — to support the budget.
“They must vote for the budget; they must come to support it. Remember, we are not done, we were just voting for the fiscal framework. The Appropriation Bill is coming. There are a lot of bills that are lined up,” he said.
“Now that they have not voted for the fiscal framework, it sets the tone of what they will do with the Appropriation Bill, Division of Revenue Bill. Those things are still coming. We will work with those who go all the way with us. We need the budget to get South Africa working.”
Mbalula said the DA’s rejection of the budget had triggered an urgent engagement with all the political parties represented in parliament to resolve the impasse and pass the Division of Revenue Bill before the May 1 deadline.
“We are going to talk to everybody, including the DA, because we need to pass the budget. That’s what we’re going to do. But we don’t have any conditions,” he said.
“We’ve taken a decision that the GNU is our framework — not supply and confidence — and we will engage with parties who are in and outside of the GNU to address the budget impasse.”
While Mbalula downplayed the prospects of an imminent cabinet reshuffle, he said it was President Cyril Ramaphosa’s prerogative to fire ministers who defied the executive’s collective responsibility.
“If I’m president, and I’ve got ministers who are law unto themselves on the basis of party affiliation, I’ve got to make up my mind about how I address this kindergarten in my cabinet. The president will apply his mind and engage with his ministers.”
While Mbalula avoided stating the ANC’s definitive position on the DA’s future in government, he said, if the party was no longer aligned with the GNU framework, it should “file the papers” and exit.
“I’ve never been in a divorce, but in a divorce, you file the papers. They must file the papers. If they decide to stay, then how do they stay? That’s the question. We remain loyal to the GNU and we are not playing chess.”
The ANC is expected to meet all political parties in the coming days to resolve the budget deadlock and prevent a potential constitutional crisis should parliament fail to pass the Appropriation Bill.
“We will negotiate. We will engage. We will defend the national interest, not narrow party interest,” Mbalula said. “South Africa must work — that’s the ANC’s job.”
He also rubbished claims that the ANC was running a “parallel process” through backdoor talks or that its leadership was divided on the GNU strategy.
This was after the Sunday Times reported that Mbalula had been running a parallel budget negotiations team, allegedly sparking furious reactions from his top seven colleagues when they found out.
“I’m in charge here [at Luthuli House], mandated by my collective. I report every Monday to the officials. There is no chaos. The centre holds,” Mbalula said.
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