John Steenhuisen, the leader of South Africa’s second-biggest political party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has confirmed that his party will back President Cyril Ramaphosa for the presidency of the seventh administration, reported IOL.
This comes after the DA agreed to be part of a coalition government, which is being referred to as a government of national unity (GNU) which will also include the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
Speaking via a live television broadcast during a break in proceedings at the National Assembly in Cape Town on Friday, June 14, Steenhuisen said:
Following his election today, President Ramaphosa will then exercise his prerogative to appoint his new cabinet from among the members of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in consultation with the leaders of the constituent parties.
Steenhuisen also revealed that the DA has also joined the ANC in the three largest provinces: Western Cape, Gauteng, and KwaZulu-Natal. He said:
Today, the DA has become a party of national government. What was once unthinkable when the DA’s predecessor secured only 1.7% of the vote in 1994 has now become a reality.
Steenhuisen said the DA’s participation in the unity government is driven by its commitment to the South African people. He said:
The DA takes this historic step forward out of our deep and abiding love for the people of this country. We do so both for the millions of people who voted for us and for all South Africans who yearn for a better government and a brighter future.
For the very first time, the DA will now be able to bring the same expertise we honed in places like Cape Town and the Western Cape to serve all the people of South Africa.
This is our mission core in the Government of National Unity: to serve, to uplift, and to deliver dignity to all the people of our country.
However, many ANC supporters view the DA as a racist party fighting for the preservation of economic privileges built up by white people during the discriminatory system of apartheid.
In the 1990s, the DA – then known as the Democratic Party (DP), refused to join the GNU following an invitation by the then South African President, Nelson Mandela, after the now-defunct National Party (NP), led by South Africa’s last white ruler, FW de Klerk, had quit the government.
Mandela, who was South Africa’s first black President, formed a GNU after apartheid ended in 1994 and appointed De Klerk as one of his deputies.
But De Klerk and his party withdrew from the GNU about two years after accusing Mandela and the ANC of pushing through decisions without consulting him.
After the NP quit the GNU, Mandela invited the DA to join the GNU to keep alive his efforts at promoting racial reconciliation between the black majority and white minority.
Almost 30 years later, the DA has finally agreed to form a GNU with the ANC to block the latter from forming what it called a “doomsday coalition” with radical parties such as EFF and MK Party led by Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, respectively.
EFF and MK Party advocate the nationalisation of white-owned land, mines and banks, a move that will bring white privilege to an end.
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