DA leader sends a message to Ramaphosa

The leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s second-largest political party, will enforce broader consultation in the nation’s ruling coalition as he reiterated his commitment to the alliance.

The DA joined the so-called government of national unity two years ago, after the African National Congress lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 elections for the first time since the end of apartheid.

The two parties have clashed over tax, land and education policies, with the DA accusing the ANC of failing to consult it on major government decisions.

“The DA will not remain silent when the ANC refuses to consult,” Geordin Hill-Lewis said in his first major address to party members since becoming elected leader in April.

The speech came a day after he stamped his authority on the party with a reshuffle of DA members in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet. The moves included demoting his predecessor, John Steenhuisen, from the executive.

“The decision to join the government of national unity was the correct one,” Hill-Lewis said.

“The alternative was to allow destructive populists into power. We could not, and let me be clear, will never allow that.”