ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula has cautioned the Democratic Alliance (DA) against approaching governance within the Government of National Unity (GNU) with what he calls “streetfighter tendencies.”
Speaking from Luthuli House following the ANC’s National Lekgotla, Mbalula dismissed the DA’s opposition to recently signed parliamentary bills, including the Expropriation Act, saying the party was attempting to introduce disputes that were never agreed upon in GNU negotiations.
The DA has accused the ANC of bypassing dispute resolution mechanisms outlined in the GNU’s founding document and has threatened legal action while seeking a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa to express its objections.
However, Mbalula insists that the DA was fully aware of these bills, which were passed by the previous ANC-led administration before the formation of the GNU. He argues that there was never an agreement to halt all pending legislation and that the DA’s current stance is an attempt to undermine progress.
“We need to understand that in our negotiations, there was no agreement that all bills from the sixth administration would be scrapped. If that had been a condition, we would have addressed it then,” said Mbalula.
He further criticized the DA’s approach, warning against treating coalition governance as a “street fight” where parties attempt to manipulate outcomes after losing in formal negotiations.
“You must be honest in negotiations. You can’t say one thing in talks and then change positions later. The GNU is about interests, and we know what interests the DA represents. We will not be dishonest with them, nor will we be tricked into abandoning our transformation agenda,” Mbalula concluded.
As tensions rise within the GNU, the ANC and DA remain at odds over governance dynamics, setting the stage for ongoing political battles within the coalition.