PRETORIA – South Africa’s fragile government of national unity (GNU) faced a potential collapse on Wednesday after Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen gave President Cyril Ramaphosa 48 hours to fire ministers implicated in corruption or risk the DA pulling out.
The ultimatum followed the sudden dismissal of Andrew Whitfield, the DA’s deputy minister of trade, industry and competition, who was removed from his position by Ramaphosa earlier that day. The DA claims the move was politically motivated and done without consultation.
Steenhuisen made the threat during a heated session in the National Assembly, where he accused the president of double standards. He said Whitfield was sacked over an allegedly unauthorised trip to Washington, despite having written to Ramaphosa for approval and later following up with an apology. Both letters, Steenhuisen claimed, went unanswered.
According to Steenhuisen, Ramaphosa informed him just before a Cabinet meeting that Whitfield would be removed. He requested a day to consult with his party, but three hours later, Whitfield received a termination letter. “There is no other conclusion to be drawn than that this is a calculated political assault on the second-largest party in the governing coalition,” Steenhuisen told MPs.
He contrasted Whitfield’s removal with the continued presence of other ministers accused of wrongdoing. These include Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane, who is accused of misleading Parliament; Thembi Simelane, linked to the looting of the VBS Mutual Bank; and David Mahlobo, named in state capture findings.
Steenhuisen said Whitfield had been effective in the GNU and had “stood in the way of looting” linked to the Transformation Fund. “DA members of the executive are now being fired for fighting corruption, not for committing it,” he said.
He warned that if Ramaphosa failed to act within 48 hours, the ANC would bear full responsibility for the consequences. Steenhuisen did not clarify whether the DA would exit the GNU, and party spokespeople did not respond to media inquiries by the time of publication.
Despite the tensions, Steenhuisen said the DA would support the Division of Revenue Bill, citing a commitment to the wellbeing of the country. “We love South Africa too much to act in insecure and petty ways that risk the future of all 62 million people,” he said.
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