The GNU is headed for another battle — this time over the replacement of Ebrahim Rasool as South Africa’s ambassador to the US.
The DA, the ANC’s biggest partner in the government of national unity (GNU), has moved to influence President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision on who should be his next envoy to Washington DC. Rasool is due to land in the country today.
The DA believes the appointment should be a GNU decision, while the ANC contends that the GNU partners agreed that foreign policy would not be within the purview of the governing coalition, which includes 10 parties.
Though President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, this week told the media there was no rush to replace Rasool, senior leaders in both the DA and the ANC seem to believe the decision is urgent. A senior ANC leader suggested the party’s officials and its deployment committee would have to discuss Rasool’s replacement this week.
“We must fill that post very soon. We are not in a crisis [with regard to deciding the issue], [but] we are too many in the ANC. It must happen very soon,” said a top ANC leader who did not want to be named.
[Tony Leon] has the attributes needed to mend relations between South Africa and the US. He is an experienced diplomat with a lot of skill in the international relations field. He is very widely read, understands the complexity of the issues involved, and would be taken seriously in Washington
— Helen Zille, DA federal council chair
“The leadership has not discussed this thing. The officials are only meeting tomorrow, and they can’t not discuss it on Monday.”
Since the announcement by the US government that Rasool had been declared persona non grata, it appears intense lobbying has been taking place, with DA federal council chair Helen Zille suggesting the party’s former leader, Tony Leon, should be given the post.
The name of the ANC’s Andries Nel has also been brought up in some quarters.
However, Rasool’s replacement seems likely to cause even more friction in what now looks like a fragmented GNU.
The battle appears to be about whether the statement of intent signed by the GNU partners covers deployments of senior government positions such as ambassadors as part of what must be negotiated.
Zille told the Sunday Times the statement of intent said there ought to be consensus on all issues, while the top ANC leader said this was not the case.
“Section 18 of the statement of intent refers to all decisions of the GNU. It does not specify which decisions. It says that decisions are taken by consensus, and if consensus cannot be reached, then the decision is by sufficient consensus. Section 19 defines how sufficient consensus is reached,” said Zille.
The ANC source said Rasool’s replacement was a foreign policy matter that the parties had agreed was outside the GNU’s remit.
“It can’t be the DA. It can’t be Tony Leon. It can’t be what the DA wants. It’s not a GNU matter — it’s a government matter,” said the leader.
“Go and read that statement of intent. In that statement, we said issues of foreign policy, the constitution and the rule of law fall outside any negotiation and agreement. Yes, they may have tried to go back on some of the agreements, but that’s why we’ve dismissed those discussions. Have we reopened the negotiations on all of those? We have not.”
But Zille argued the ANC was trying to circumvent clauses that sought consensus on issues such as this — and said the DA would not take it lying down.
“They have been [doing this] since the beginning. They act as if clauses 18 and 19 don’t exist. And they have now explicitly been trying to work around these clauses through the terms of reference of the clearing-house mechanism, which we will not accept,” she said.
Zille said as far as she was concerned, Leon was who the country needed to fill the vacant post.
“I was asked that question [of who would make a good US ambassador] during a live television interview. Thinking on my feet, [I said] the best choice was Tony Leon, and on reflection I still think he is the best choice. He has the attributes needed to mend relations between South Africa and the US.
“He is an experienced diplomat with a lot of skill in the international relations field. He is very widely read, understands the complexity of the issues involved and would be taken seriously in Washington. That is what South Africa needs right now,” she said.
Zille told the Sunday Times she has yet to formally lobby both Ramaphosa and the DA.
“I have not made any recommendations. This is my own view. I have not canvassed it with the DA. However, I do believe it would be important for the DA’s position to be taken seriously by President Ramaphosa, so I hope he does seek the DA’s input on this crucial appointment.”
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