The African National Congress (ANC) has accused its main coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), of causing friction within South Africa’s government of national unity.
The criticism is part of a base document prepared for the ANC’s upcoming National General Council in December. In the document, the ANC praises its own role in forming the unity government after the 2024 elections. However, it states that progress is being hampered by what it calls the DA’s “narrow partisanship and infantile performative politics.”
The two parties, the largest in the coalition, have frequently disagreed on several key policies. These include laws on land expropriation, education, black economic empowerment, employment equity, and national health insurance.
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The ANC document claims the DA’s platform often opposes efforts to uplift historically disadvantaged groups. It argues that while the DA frames its stance as non-racialism, it effectively protects existing privilege.
These disagreements have extended to Parliament, where a dispute over a fiscal framework vote earlier this year nearly caused the coalition to unravel.
The ANC says it has decided to invite more political parties into the government of national unity to strengthen it, a move the DA has already opposed. The document concludes that the ANC’s goal is to rebuild its electoral base and restore its majority status.