‘We are not going to be confined to the fringes in GNU,’ says Steenhuisen

DA leader John Steenhuisen says his party is gunning for active participation in the soon-to-be-announced cabinet.

Speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday, the DA leader said the party will not settle for delegation to the sidelines in the government of national unity (GNU).

“We are going to speak to the president regarding the DA offering its members to serve in the executive. The agreement says broad proportionality and inclusivity,” he said. 

“We would like to play a meaningful role in government. We are not going to be confined to the fringes. We made it very clear in our election manifesto that there are a number of key areas we felt are essential for South Africa to resolve over the next five years if we are to get the country moving forward.” 

The DA retained its position as the second biggest party after the recent elections. It has joined the ANC in a GNU arrangement which will see it join government and head  some departments and committees in parliament. 

Steenhuisen said his party campaign ideals could only be realised through occupation of executive offices.

“We will seek portfolios that give effect to those things, like ending load-shedding, tripling the number of grade 3 pupils who can read for meaning, fighting violent crime, building a capable state with public servants who work for people and not politicians, and being able to ensure we have systems for infrastructure and development.”

Steenhuisen said the posts they are eyeing will be key to advancing South Africa. He reacted to criticism the party received after its decision to join the GNU, claiming this was coming from its detractors who did not believe in the constitution.

“They saw this as an opportunity in this election, where the ANC lost its majority, to come in with their anti-constitutionalist tendencies,” he said, adding the DA did not take the criticism seriously. 

“The reality is that the democratic centre has held at a time when the constitution needed to be entrenched and defended.”

He said the era of finger-pointing was over, arguing this was an era of effectively putting shoulders to the wheel as South Africans.

“Our country is in a deep crisis with massive unemployment, huge poverty, corruption, maladministration. It is up to all of us to get South Africa out of this trajectory and get it working.”

Steenhuisen said his party is seeking clarity after the addition of parties including the Patriotic Alliance (PA) into the GNU pact.

The DA has had a contentious relationship with the PA fuelled by disagreements in local government coalitions.

“The original agreement makes it very clear partners would only be added with consultation with other parties. We have not been consulted, and their [PA] role is not yet clear. I'm sure once we have sat down with the president over the next 48 hours, that role will become clearer and we're going to have to make a call either way on that decision.”

FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald said his party has made submissions to the ANC regarding its cabinet wish list.

Groenewald said his party had not discussed positions during its talks with the ANC. 

“We want no specifics. These are broad subjects at this point. We must build the economy, but the devil lies in the detail. We can enhance a government without forming part of the executive. You're only part of a government if you're a minister or part of the executive. You can enhance from the legislature perspective when it comes to accountability in the National Assembly.”

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