By Khanyisile Ngcobo
The latest crisis – over Ramaphosa’s sacking of Andrew Whitfield, a deputy minister from the DA party – has really upset Steenhuisen, who held a press conference detailing his heartfelt complaints.
These include Ramaphosa’s decisions to push ahead with various bits of controversial legislation “that have far-reaching consequences for our economy and economic growth as has been seen by the reaction form some of South Africa’s largest trading partners”.
This is a reference to the US’s anger over the law that will give the state the power to expropriate some privately owned land without compensation for owners.
“This was done without even the common courtesy of informing the fellow partners in the government of national unity about his intention to do so,” said Steenhuisen.
He also spoke about the budget crisis, when in March Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana proposed hiking VAT by 2%.
The backlash – which included court action, led by the DA – forced him to scrap the proposal.
It is not the only time the DA has taken legal action – playing the opposition card whilst being part of the GNU.
Its opposition to the Expropriation Act is at odds with the fact that Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson – a member of the DA – has defended the legislation and will be in charge of implementing it.
It points to divisions within the DA – with one wing led by Steenhuisen believing it is better to be in the tent, but another conservative faction angered by what it sees as the ANC’s “hypocrisy”.
“In some cases, DA ministers have literally achieved more in 12 months than ANC ministers did in 30 years,” Steenhuisen said.
Yet, nodding to critics within the party, he came down hard on alleged cabinet corruption by ANC members: “The president’s refusal to act against corruption within his own ranks, but singling out as a priority a DA minister risks confirming that his oft-repeated public commitment to clean governance is a sham.”
This meant, Steenhuisen said, that the DA would not back the budgets for departments led by those it considered corrupt, which includes higher education, led by Nobuhle Nkabane.
She has been under fire for appointing ANC politicians to chair various vocational training boards – and for allegedly misleading parliament about their appointment.
Ramaphosa had refused to comply with a DA ultimatum, after Whitfield’s sacking, to remove her and others the party considers corrupt.
Yet the president too has to deal with factions in his party – there are agitators, like his deputy, who would prefer the EFF.
To some extent Ramaphosa has allowed the DA to continue playing a dual role – of opposition and GNU member – but at times he likes to make it clear who is boss.
This is what happened over Whitfield’s dismissal as deputy trade minister – sacked for taking an unsanctioned trip in February.
When South Africa’s relationship with the US had taken a nose-dive earlier in the year, Whitfield had travelled to the US as part of a DA delegation. He had repeatedly asked for permission to do so, but received no answer from the presidency.
The 42-year-old is from the Eastern Cape province, the heart of South Africa’s car industry which benefits from the US’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa). This legislation guarantees duty-free access to American consumers for certain goods from Africa.
Agoa – brought in 25 years ago by former US President Bill Clinton – is up for renewal this year but some fear this will not happen given Trump’s tariff wars and a Republican-dominated Congress.
Whitfield went to the US as part of the DA delegation to lobby for South Africa to stay in Agoa, which also benefits Steenhuisen’s agricultural portfolio.