DA undermines the same accountability it claims to champion

SOUTH Africa's promising coalition government, still learning to share power, was shaken on June 26 when President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Deputy Trade Minister Andrew Whitfield, a member of the DA.

- NYANISO QWESHA

The dismissal, rooted in Whitfield’s decision to travel to Washington without the president's written approval, triggered a high-stakes standoff after the DA issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding the removal of three ANC ministers facing corruption allegations. The episode reveals deeper questions about accountability, coalition discipline, and political optics.

The Ministerial Handbook, the code that governs ministerial conduct, requires ministers and their deputies to obtain the president's written approval at least two weeks before any foreign travel.

According to the DA, Whitfield did submit a request on February 12, but when no response came, he boarded a flight to Washington in early March as part of a DA delegation.

In corporate terms, it was like an employee who, after emailing a leave request and receiving no reply, simply went on holiday. Whatever the frustrations, the decision demonstrated a serious lapse in judgement and invited presidential censure.