ANC says it has not decided anything about the DA's future in the GNU

The ANC says it has not made a decision on whether the DA will remain in the coalition government, the GNU.

“Maybe they have already made a decision that they want to leave, we don’t know,” said ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula.

Mbalula was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, after the ANC’s NWC meeting on Monday. He said they are still committed to the GNU, but the GNU is not the DA.

The ANC and DA’s relationship in the GNU has recently soured following disagreements over the budget passed last week, particularly the issue of a 0.5% VAT increase. The DA voted against the budget.

“If they still want to be part of it (GNU), how will they deal with this issue of disagreement with the budget, and how do we move forward?” asked Mbalula.

He said that if the DA still wants to remain in the GNU, it must be clear how it will resolve the issue of its opposition to the budget.

He also commented on rumours that President Cyril Ramaphosa may make cabinet changes, excluding DA ministers. There are rumours that Ramaphosa may include other groups that helped the ANC pass the budget, including ActionSA, BOSA, and other smaller parties.

Mbalula said that there are no plans from the ANC that they are aware of for Ramaphosa to make cabinet changes. He said Ramaphosa has never spoken about making cabinet changes.

He added that Ramaphosa, as the president of the country, has the right and power to make cabinet changes if he sees the need.