Politricking | DA will walk away 'only when it’s the least bad option', says Helen Zille

With the ANC-led government of national unity, having passed its first major test; getting the budget approved, what’s clear is that many other challenges lie ahead, with the ANC and DA expected to continue in their current trajectory.

It’s their clashes, which have threatened the 1-year-old partnership, as two diametrically opposed parties seek to work their way, alongside 8 others, through the 7^th administration.

The ANC and DA have had public spats over foreign policy, the Basic Education amendments law act, the National Health Insurance act as well as the Expropriation Without Compensation act amongst many others, with the most recent being a fallout over the axing of deputy Trade and Industry minister Andrew Whitfield.

Whitfield’s axing saw the DA give President Ramaphosa a failed ultimatum, which didn’t lead to the blue party walking away but instead withdrawing from the national dialogue, a chapter, which its federal council chair Helen Zille said was outrageous as “he did what he was supposed to do, as per the ministers’ handbook, while the president didn’t do what he was supposed to do.”

Zille is this week’s guest on Politricking with Tshidi Madia, a politics podcast by EWN.

The 74-year-old journalist turned politician, who has very little good to say about journalists has described the past year as a “culture shock.”

“We believe that people give their word and then they stick to their word. We believe that people sign a document and then they fulfil the obligations under that document. We believe that we agree on certain mechanisms of meetings and others, and people will bring their part responsibly and with commitment to the process,” she said.

She said the DA was still reeling from the realisation that none of this is true in their current government relationship, claiming they could be accused of being naïve, for expecting certain elements to be taken for granted in relationships.

But walking away is not the answer.

“Walking away (will happen), when it’s the least bad option,” she said.

Zille believes if the president had not sacked the minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, that moment would have been a reality.

This as she insisted the firing of the minister was a DA victory despite EWN’s own awareness from insiders in the ANC that Nkabane’s fate was sealed a long time ago, for her own disdain for parliament and constant refusal to be held accountable.

“We were going to be very well there [at the point of walking away], if the President said we're kicking out Andrew, who's an honourable, hard worker and committed person who did exactly what he was supposed to do, and then kept Nkabane in the cabinet.  Then we would have walked away,” she said.

“We can't bear that level of hypocrisy,” she added.

The DA had demanded that the president fire two ministers, Nkabane, as well as Human Settlements’ Thembi Simelani, who remains in her post, which Zille simply explained to be the nature of coalitions, as one doesn’t always get everything they want.

When asked if the decision to support the appropriations bill isn’t the DA rescuing the ANC, once more, she vehemently disagreed.

“Excuse me? … it’s the public that rescues the ANC, the voters rescue the ANC,” she said.

This, despite the DA announcing several red lines that its walked back on since joining national government, for Zille, the only real loss was on the Bela act, with it having taken other matters including expropriation and NHI to the courts.

“We won’t be the ANC’s lapdog,” she said.

And while she has often opined on happenings in the ANC, she refused to allow the opinions of those in their coalition partner on the state of her organisation to carry to weight, including questions around the effectiveness of their federal leadership.

John Steenhuisen has been criticised by both DA and ANC insiders for how he plays his role, commentary Zille dismissed as she emphasised her own belief in his leadership. She refused to assess his performance on public platforms.

She said Steenhuisen fulfils his role as a federal leader of the organisation.

Zille also disagreed with a view that relations with the ANC and Ramaphosa would be better with a different leader.

“I don't think it's got anything to do with a leader. It's got absolutely nothing to do with the DA. I mean, the DA has been trying to get up at regular meetings forever. We are supposed to have had, I think, 12 meetings by now. I've had four meetings with Fikile Mbalula. We're supposed to meet every second month with the president. That meeting hasn't happened yet,” she said.

“We'd love to talk more to the ANC, if they just come to the meetings that are arranged,” she continued.

And of her own ambitions, she dismissed talks of trying to return to the helm as a federal leader. Zille who has suggested a willingness to remain on the grind, said she won’t be making a play for the DA’s number one position, even suggesting should her application to become Johannesburg mayor succeed she will step down from the national stage.

“If it so happens that I am chosen as the DA’s mayoral candidate for Johannesburg, then I will step down as chair of the Federal Council,” she said.