DA ultimatum toppled Nkabane

Democratic Alliance's Helen Zille cornered the ANC's Fikile Mbalula with the ultimatum to axe the minister or lose DA support on budget votes

- Mandisa Nyathi

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has claimed a political win in the government of national unity (GNU) after President Cyril Ramaphosa removed the minister of higher education, Nobuhle Nkabane, a concession made under pressure after a bruising standoff with DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille.

The impasse escalated during a secretariat forum meeting last week, where Zille allegedly cornered ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula and held the party accountable for the breakdown in GNU consensus.

Party insiders said Zille confronted Mbalula over the dismissal of trade, industry and competition deputy minister Andrew Whitfield and warned that the DA would withhold support for key budget votes unless Ramaphosa removed Nkabane from her post for misleading parliament regarding board appointments at Sector Education and Training Authorities.

“Gogo [Zille] cited clauses 18 and 19 of the GNU Statement of Intent, demanding equal treatment and application of coalition rules. She made it very clear to Fikile that the DA would not vote for a minister who misled parliament while the ANC expects compliance from everyone else,” a DA source close to the matter said, adding that Mbalula “had no real defence”.

Clause 18 of the coalition government agreement requires consensus in decision-making. Clause 19 defines sufficient consensus as agreement among the majority of the 10 parties in the governing pact. Zille allegedly argued that the ANC had consistently violated both clauses by taking decisions unilaterally without consulting the DA, despite decisions affecting them.

Whitfield was fired for travelling abroad without presidential approval. The DA has been arguing that Nkabane needed to be removed under the same standard and Ramaphosa finally caved on Monday.