Cyril Ramaphosa, John Steenhausen and Paul Mashatile during the swearing-in ceremony of cabinet ministers in South Africa's Parliament in July 2024. (Photo: Roger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images)
President Cyril Ramaphosa was due to host a multi-party caucus on Wednesday evening to assess the current state of the coalition government and discuss mechanisms for resolving disputes between the partners.
The dinner came amid rising tensions after President Ramaphosa announced his intention to sign the Basic Education Amendment Bill into law on Friday, with the Democratic Alliance warning that going ahead with the signing would put the future of the coalition government at risk.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Mugwenya said the timing of the rallies should not be interpreted as a sign of trouble within the so-called national unity government, but dismissed threats to its survival as “anxiety”.
“The purpose of the dinner is to provide an opportunity to review the GNU's activities so far and to discuss in detail the establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism,” Mugwenya told reporters in Cape Town.
“This evening is an opportunity for all party leaders to give their assessment and provide feedback to the president. Party leaders can raise any concerns they may have.”
He said President Ramaphosa was “pleased” with the coalition's efforts.
“The President is also pleased with the level of commitment and commitment shown by members of the National Executive and the level of cooperation shown by Ministers from different political parties in resolving the challenges facing the Government and the country.”
As an example, he said DA leader and Agriculture Minister John Steenhausen and International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola worked together last week to favourably renegotiate South Africa's agricultural trade agreement with China.
Steenhausen said on Wednesday that if President Ramaphosa agreed to the basic education bill, it would violate “both the letter and spirit” of the Communiqué that forms the basis of the national unity government.
“During the negotiations, the DA made it clear that the BELA Bill in its current form is unacceptable to us as it impacts on constitutional issues such as the right to mother tongue education.”
He recalled that the DA had urged President Ramaphosa to send the bill back to parliament to correct provisions that the DA deemed unconstitutional.
“Nonetheless, and in violation of the terms of the Statement of Intent, the President appears intent on proceeding unilaterally. I have moved urgently to meet with the President by Friday to reiterate our opposition in the strongest terms.”
“If the President continues to ignore these dissent, he will jeopardize the future of national unity government and destroy the integrity on which it is based.”
Steenhausen said the ANC could no longer act alone and would inform President Ramaphosa of the “devastating impact it would have on the future of the GNU” if he agreed to the bill.
He added that the creation of a dispute resolution mechanism within the Union was now an urgent priority.
Steenhausen's comments are the first sign of serious animosity within the new government since it took office three months ago.
Mugweena said it was worth remembering that the president had limited grounds to send a bill back to Parliament.
Article 79(1) of the Constitution provides that the President must either assent to and sign a bill passed by Parliament or, if there is any doubt about its constitutionality, send it back to Parliament for reconsideration.
The Constitutional Court has made it clear that the president cannot refuse to sign a bill for political reasons, Mugwenya said.
“The only basis on which the president can refuse to sign a bill is a constitutional reservation.”
That means the president must consider the opinion on the constitutionality of the bill and, if he finds it unpersuasive, go ahead with the process of assenting to the bill in question, he continued.
“There is nothing in the Constitution that requires the President's decisions to be contingent on negotiations or agreements with other parties or individuals. The President remains firmly committed to engaging in full consultations with all parties in the national unity government on this and other issues of concern.”
He said threats about the stability of the national unity government were unhelpful.
“It's disturbing that every time a conflict arises, there's talk of a threat to the stability of the GNU,” he said.
“These threats are disturbing because they are not only directed at the president but also at the stability of the country. They are a threat to South Africans. The GNU must remain stable and united.”
The bill would impose penalties on parents who do not enroll their children in school and allow undocumented children to enroll.
The DA's objections centre around the bill's provisions on language policy which would give the Department of Basic Education greater oversight over school governing bodies' decisions.
Basic Education Minister Siwiwe Gwalbe, a DA executive member, said the bill was a threat to school autonomy.