As budget vote looms, DA leadership to meet caucus, ANC negotiates trade-offs with smaller parties
Attempts by the country’s two major parties to get past a deadlock over power-sharing seem to have failed.
FILE: A Democratic Alliance flag. Picture: RODGER BOSCH/AFP
JOHANNESBURG - As the Democratic Alliance (DA) leadership prepares to meet its caucus ahead of Parliament voting on the 2025 budget, the African National Congress (ANC) is still negotiating trade-offs with smaller parties.
Attempts by the country’s two major parties to get past a deadlock over power-sharing seems to have failed.
In leaked audio, obtained by EWN, the ANC's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, can be heard telling the caucus that should the DA not vote for the budget, it would be tantamount to the party defining itself out of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
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Speaking to ANC MPs on Tuesday night, Ramaphosa said that the DA had placed itself in an undesirable position.
While the first GNU agreement between the ANC, DA and smaller parties was clinched just minutes before the election of a president last year, it seems that talks this time around will not deliver a similar outcome on Wednesday's budget vote.
DA insiders have told EWN that it's basically the end of their time in the GNU, claiming that the president gave the organisation an unacceptable document which strips the DA of all power in the GNU.
At the same time, the ANC is furiously crunching the numbers as it tries to ensure that there are enough bums in the seats who will support Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's budget.
A trust deficit between the ANC, Freedom Front Plus and the EFF might alter Wednesday's session.
It's understood that the EFF wants to see the DA kicked out of the GNU before it supports the 2025 budget but the ANC wants the DA to snub the budget before officially getting the boot.
Negotiations will in all likelihood continue until the sitting kicks off at 2pm.
The DA will meet with its caucus at 12:30pm.