ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula. Photo: Luba Lesor/Galo Images
aNC Secretary-General Fikili Mbalula has hit back at Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Council Speaker Helen Zille, rejecting her recent claims that there is no Government of National Unity (GNU) but rather a coalition between two parties.
Mbalula told reporters on the sidelines of an ANC national executive meeting in Ekurhuleni on Thursday that Zille was a mouthpiece for the opposition seeking to sow discord within the unity government.
President Cyril Ramaphosa formed the GNU after the ANC failed to secure a majority of seats in the May 29 general election. The ANC won just over 40% of the national vote, while the main opposition party, the DA, received just 21.8%.
The unity government is made up of the ANC, DA, Inkatha Freedom Party, Rise Mzansi, GOOD, Patriotic Union, Al Jama'ah, PLUS Freedom Front, Pan African Congress and United Democratic Movement.
On Thursday, Mbalula said Zille's comments were an attempt to destroy the ANC.
“We are the main party, we are the largest party, we are the party that most strongly expresses the will of the people. We are not going to debate with Mr Zille or whoever he wants,” he said.
“Stop getting annoyed every time Jill says she wants the ANC dead. That's her job, just like everyone else's.”
In a video circulating on social media from a post-election dialogue organised by Germany's Free Democrats-affiliated Friedrich Naumann Foundation on Wednesday, Zille claimed the DA and ANC had formed a coalition government, not the GNU.
In the video, she can be heard saying that President Ramaphosa came up with the concept of a national unity government “and thought that it was a better way to sell the idea of a coalition government to his own party.”
“A government of national unity will bring together all political parties, including the EFF. [Economic Freedom Fighters] and M.K. [Umkhonto weSizwe] The party did not do that,” Gill said.
“But it still gave the president an excuse to bring in all the smaller parties and say, 'I'm not in coalition with the DA.' The truth is, [the DA and ANC] A coalition government is actually a coalition because a coalition government means that if one party leaves the coalition, that party falls.”
Gilles added that the DA sees the collapse of the ANC and the possible resignation of Ramaphosa as leader after 2027 and is seeking to end three decades of ANC dominance and establish itself as South Africa's largest political party.
“The ANC has done the polls and they know their trump card is Cyril Ramaphosa. If they lose Cyril Ramaphosa their approval rating will drop to 25% or 20% if they're lucky,” she said.
She also said the DA had used the rand exchange rate to its advantage during the GNU negotiations.
“One of the most powerful tools we had in the negotiations was the value of the rand. When things were going well the rand went up and when things were going badly the rand went down,” she said.
Mbalula said on Thursday that Zille was free to leave if he was not happy with the deal with the GNU, adding that the ANC was “not going to beg” anyone to stay in the agreement.
“We are not pleading with Jill either. If she wants to leave GNU she can leave, but we called on everyone to cooperate, they agreed and we are working together,” he said.
He said voters had given the ANC a mandate to find partners to work with and form a government, adding: “So why should we insist? Let's work for the people.”
Mbalula said the ANC was focused on stabilising the country and ensuring a functioning government.
“question [that remains is] Could ANC do better at 40%? [it received] “What kind of leadership does the country have in terms of defending power and leading South Africa? The country is stable, that's the reality. Everything is fine, the government is functioning,” he said.
The EFF has previously criticised the unity government as a coalition that seeks to reverse progress towards securing black freedoms and rights.
