Ramaphosa’s Expropriation Act puts South African government at risk
The Democratic Alliance declared a dispute within the nation’s coalition government days after President Cyril Ramaphosa assented to a new law that would make it easier for the state to expropriate land.
The party also called for an overhaul of relations within the government of national unity, criticizing Ramaphosa’s African National Congress party for failing to adhere to procedures set out in a coalition deal agreed last year.
The DA will invoke clause 19 of the coalition agreement signed last year “in pursuit of an urgent reset in relations,” party leader John Steenhuisen said in a statement on Saturday. The clause codifies procedures to be followed when differences arise within the coalition.
“We won over 3.5 million votes and we are in the government to represent our voters and to rescue South Africa,” said Steenhuisen, who also serves as the nation’s agriculture minister. “If we cannot fulfil this mandate inside the GNU, we will have to seriously consider our next steps.”
The DA went into alliance with the ANC and eight smaller rivals after elections in May 2024 failed to produce an outright winner and took six seats in the cabinet.
While the new administration agreed to safeguard the constitution and prioritize growing the economy and creating jobs, its members have sparred over a number of policies.
This week, Ramaphosa signed off on legislation that will enable the authorities to seize land in the public interest on condition that just and fair compensation is paid — a measure the ANC says is necessary to address racially skewed land-ownership patterns that date back to apartheid and colonial rule.
Contentious Laws
Shortly before last year’s election, Ramaphosa also signed into law the National Health Insurance Act, which provides a framework for citizens to secure universal health care through a centrally managed state fund.
The measure, which is being challenged in court, will ban the private sector from offering cover for treatment available under the so-called NHI.
The DA and other detractors say patients’ rights to health care of their choice, freedom of association, and employment options will be negatively affected.
Steenhuisen wrote to Ramaphosa on Friday to “object in the strongest terms to the fact that he signed the Expropriation Act this week in contravention of a clear legal opinion,” submitted by Minister Public Works Minister Dean MacPherson — a DA member — that the act is unconstitutional.
The DA leader also stated his party’s “implacable opposition” to the inclusion of the NHI in the country’s Medium-Term Development Plan because of the implications it will have for the nation’s budget.
Steenhuisen said that the measures announced by the DA on Saturday stopped short of being an ultimatum in response to questions at a briefing in Cape Town.
“This is not an ultimatum, but an appeal to the president to treat his other coalition partners with respect and maturity,” he said.
“The GNU was not formed merely to implement the policies of the previous government in which the ANC had the majority of power.”
Beyond the expropriation and health laws, the DA has also rejected parts of an education bill that Ramaphosa assented to in September, complaining that it gives the government excessive powers to determine language policy and admission criteria at state schools.
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