The booting out of Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink this week places DA co-operation with the ANC in other municipalities such as eThekwini, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay at risk.
It is just the latest in a string of disagreements between the two parties, the largest in the 10-member government of national unity (GNU), though the DA remains pragmatic about the coalition.
DA leader John Steenhuisen told the Sunday Times this week that it was important to stop “catastrophising differences of opinion” between parties who remain stubbornly committed to making the GNU work at national level.
Steenhuisen was reflecting on the first 100 days since his party took its place in the GNU, saying that in any coalition arrangement there would be areas of difference and convergence between parties but what was important was that all sides accepted that compromise was the only way forward.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, in New York at the UN meeting of the G20, said that some view the GNU as a “second miracle” for South Africa.
“We are in a new era. One of great promise. In what some have called a second miracle, South Africans of all races have rallied behind the GNU. We are making headway in addressing our most pressing challenges,” he said.
Two days after his address in New York, the DA’s Brink was removed as mayor of Tshwane following failed negotiations between the ANC and the DA to reach a deal. Steenhuisen said Brink's removal would affect attempts to expand co-operation between the parties at national level and down to metros and municipalities.
“What's happened has happened, but you can't expect it to be business as usual then. And, you know, we're not going to be playing ball in Nelson Mandela Bay, in eThekwini, in Ekurhuleni... You can't expect us to just roll over and pretend that Tshwane has never happened and it's business as usual,” he said. The ANC runs Ekurhuleni and eThekwini with the DA’s co-operation.
Steenhuisen was emphatic that the local dynamics did not yet pose an existential threat to the GNU, saying there was still time to remedy the situation, but a failure to do so would have an impact on co-operation between the two parties after the 2026 local elections. He attributes the failure to reach a deal on Tshwane to reticence to work with the DA by the ANC in Gauteng, who he believes are a “major problem” and threat to the GNU.
“The Gauteng ANC’s behaviour, particularly on the Tshwane matter, only serves to harden attitudes in the DA, which makes managing the GNU dynamics within the party incredibly difficult,” he said. It was more of a threat to the GNU than that of the ANC's Communist Party ally, whose general secretary Solly Mapaila has labelled working with the DA as a “sellout position”.
What's happened has happened, but you can't expect it to be business as usual then
For its part, the Gauteng ANC has accused the DA of attempting to sow division between the provincial and national leadership of the party.
While there are other sources of disagreement between the ANC and the DA, such as the National Health Insurance Act (NHI) and the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act (Bela), Steenhuisen describes the work of the GNU as “exciting” and markedly different from his time in the opposition benches.
A cabinet committee has been established to tackle differences of opinion on the NHI and to come up with a workable solution, which includes the input of business after Ramaphosa met Business Unity SA to discuss their concerns over the legislation.
The problem, Steenhuisen said, was that ANC health minister Aaron Motsoaledi had embarked on a roadshow on the implementation of the NHI, which caused deep panic among healthcare professionals and insurers.
Regarding Bela, Ramaphosa has halted the implementation of contentious clauses for three months to give the parties time to come to an agreement.
This was seen by the DA as a positive move and Steenhuisen said approaching the courts to challenge the legislation would be a “last resort” should the current engagements fail.
Later in October, a medium-term development plan with input from all parties will be released and will form the basis of the GNU’s programme of action for the next five years.
From a party perspective, Steenhuisen said the DA's voters appeared pleased with its role in the GNU judging from the uptick in support in recent by-elections. The DA believes its participation “generated enormous optimism for a better future and injected new confidence in our country’s economic prospects”.
Elections analyst Wayne Sussman said the DA should be pleased with its performance in by-elections since the May polls. The ANC has also benefited to some extent, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal by-elections where its biggest threat, the MK Party, has not been tracking well compared to its knockout performance in May.
Sussman said: “The ANC is not out of trouble, but there have been encouraging signs. The DA should be vindicated that their supporters are behind them... but the question is will they remain enthused after what happened to Brink in Tshwane, a popular figure in the city and inside the DA?”
On a personal level, Steenhuisen describes his schedule as gruelling but says he is energised by the positive difference he and the party are able to make now that they are in government.
“It's nice to be able to actually do the things that you've spoken about doing for the last 20 years and to be now in the position to be able to implement and drive programmes that are going to change the lives of South Africans — it's a massive responsibility and it's just hugely important work and it's been a huge honour,” he said.
“But I can certainly say that the government is a lot more complex than being in opposition.”
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