Ramaphosa, Mashatile's feud over DA's role in GNU

THE divisions between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Deputy Paul Mashatile over the fate of the DA in the Government of National Unity (GNU) are part of a strategy to divide the ANC in a build up to its national conference to be held in 2027.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

That's the view of political analyst Professor Andre Duvenhage, who said there were clearly fundamental differences between Ramaphosa and Mashatile.

"The deputy president is aligning himself with the radical and populist grouping trying to exclude the DA from the GNU. That is part of a strategy to the ANC conference in 2027," he said.

He said there was a huge pressure from the business community and groupings within the ANC for Ramaphosa to keep the GNU together.

"The concern at the moment is if there is a motion of no confidence against the president and he does not have the support of DA and other minority parties, he may lose his position (in government).

"This is part of a fundamental divide within the ANC. You need to look at it against the backdrop to the ANC conference in 2027," Duvenhage said.

He made his comment as Mashatile took a hard line approach regarding the DA's conduct in voting against the Budget.

On Thursday, Mashatile said the GNU would be reconfigured to ensure other parties were on board. He likened the DA to dealing with a crocodile.

"When you deal with a crocodile, you must deal with it with your eyes wide open. I'm lying on its back, to cross the river," Mashatile said days after he stated that the DA was defining itself outside the GNU by not voting for the Budget.

However, Ramaphosa has been calling for cool heads among GNU partners.

"They have views and some of them may well want the GNU to continue and some of them may even want the GNU to end for whatever reason.