ANC accuses DA of withholding budget vote in exchange for govt walking back 'transformative policies'

JOHANNESBURG - The African National Congress (ANC) has accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of withholding its budget vote in exchange for government to walk back "transformative policies" like the Expropriation Act.
 
On Thursday, the party held a media briefing in Johannesburg, reflecting on the national budget proposals.

Some parties within the Government of National Unity (GNU) have publicly stated they won’t support the budget in its current form, leading to concerns over whether it will pass.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said the ANC had to compromise on the Expropriation Act and on expanding private sector participation in the Cape Town Port if it wanted the party’s support on the budget.

However, ANC secretary-general, Fikile Mbalula, said the DA wanted to leverage its vote in order to reverse the country’s democratic gains.

He said the ANC would not be bullied.

"They want black economic empowerment policies to be abandoned. They want to weaken institutions that have been established to reverse economic exclusion. These are the same policies that entrenched inequality and racial capitalism in the past and the ANC will never allow such regression."

Despite the differences, both the ANC and DA have committed to keeping the communication lines between them open.