South Africa’s Democratic Alliance (DA) party has withdrawn from a national dialogue initiated by President Cyril Ramaphosa, citing a dispute with the president.
The DA leader, John Steenhuisen, stated that the party’s federal executive had considered tabling a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa but decided against it.
However, Steenhuisen expressed that the party is losing confidence in Ramaphosa’s ability to lead the Government of National Unity (GNU).
The national dialogue was launched by Ramaphosa to unite the country after last year’s election, which saw his African National Congress lose its parliamentary majority for the first time in three decades, forcing it to team up with the DA to form a government.
The two parties are far apart ideologically and have clashed repeatedly over the last year, as the DA has accused the ANC of acting against its interests and without proper consultation.
The decision to withdraw from the national dialogue comes after Ramaphosa fired DA’s deputy minister, Andrew Whitfield, over an unauthorized trip to the United States.
The DA has been critical of Ramaphosa’s leadership and has questioned his commitment to the GNU. Steenhuisen’s statement suggests that the DA is reevaluating its participation in the coalition government and may take further action in the future.
