South Africa’s government weathering the storm

South Africa’s second-biggest party reiterated its intention to remain within the fractious coalition government, saying its continued participation had the backing of most of its members and should boost its support in next year’s municipal elections.

The 10-party coalition was formed 13 months ago after the African National Congress failed to secure a parliamentary majority in a national vote for the first time since apartheid ended in 1994.

The ANC has since clashed repeatedly with the Democratic Alliance, its main rival, over policy and appointments, raising doubts over whether the so-called government of national unity will remain intact. 

The two parties are currently at odds over the ANC’s plans to expand the administration, a move that could potentially sideline the DA.

But its leader, John Steenhuisen, downplayed the differences, saying it was the nature of coalition politics that there wouldn’t always be consensus.

He called for the current makeup of the government to be retained and better managed. 

“The majority of the Democratic Alliance is very much behind the GNU,” Steenhuisen said in an interview on Monday, even though some members felt the party was being forced to make fatal policy compromises.

“They’ve seen the polling, they’ve seen what it means for us electorally being part of the GNU.” 

Six of the DA’s members serve in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet — including Steenhuisen as agriculture minister — giving them considerable sway over their portfolios.  

“The GNU is not working optimally,” the DA leader said. “I think that’s obvious to everybody, but I think it’s a quintessential question in politics compared to what could happen if the DA is on the opposition benches. I think that the alternative is far worse.” 

The ideological divide between South Africa’s two biggest parties was evident on Monday when the DA unveiled a suite of proposals aimed at creating jobs and firing up the economy — including scrapping Black economic-empowerment laws that it said only benefit a politically connected elite.

The ANC considers the legislation a cornerstone of its efforts to address ongoing racial disparities and has repeatedly insisted it won’t roll back the legislation.

Steenhuisen acknowledged that political wrangling within the GNU hampers efforts to boost output in Africa’s largest economy. 

“We are pretty much still kicking the can down the road,” he said. “There are no major reforms that have been driven through at all in the last year, and we’ve got to get cracking on because it’s those reforms that are so essential to send the market signal up to investors that, OK, these guys are serious.”

Steenhuisen has indicated his intention to seek re-election as DA leader next year at a party conference that a few months before the municipal elections. 

He conceded that his party is losing ground in its stronghold in the Western Cape province, where it has held power for the past decade.

Its main challenge has come from the Patriotic Alliance, which has gained popularity among mixed-race communities and has captured a number of wards in municipal by-elections.

“We’ve clearly got a problem in the Western Cape particularly,” Steenhuisen said. “We’ve seen a rise of the PA, and we’re obviously putting in place strategies to deal with that and to make sure that we are more connected with people on the ground and they understand the benefits of the DA government.”