ActionSA said they would not agree to the Statement of Intent like the “clueless” Democratic Alliance (DA) had, should they decide to join the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Party leader Herman Mashaba told that they want a legal agreement in terms of the programme of action, which would paint a picture of what the government should look like before they join.
According to ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba, the reason why the DA was “causing tantrums” in the GNU was that they were happy to join without knowing the intentions properly.
“We’re not going to be like the DA, just happy to get into government with no programme whatsoever, you have a statement of intent that doesn’t really mean anything,” he said.
He made the remarks at the State of Capital Address (SOCA) in Tshwane on Thursday.
Mashaba said that while DA ministers were travelling the world and busy with government work, they forgot that the budget was coming.
“They wake up at the last minute,” he said.
The DA is part of the GNU led by the ANC. Upon the formation of the unity government, questions about whether the ANC and DA would find common ground on policy issues were raised.
So far, the DA has opposed three policies that the ANC-led government has signed into law.
These included the National Health Insurance (NHI), which seeks to provide equal healthcare to all people, the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) and the Expropriation Act, which allows the government to expropriate land with nil compensation.
Recently, the DA voted against the passing of the 2025 budget, stating that the 0.5% Value-Added Tax (VAT) hike would cripple the citizens’ financial status even further.
Last week, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said the DA wanted to divide government, confuse the public, and claim credit without assuming responsibility.
“This dishonesty undermines the essence of collective governance,” he said.
The ANC is currently in talks with parties in and out the GNU in a bid to find ways of resolving the budget crisis.
Mashaba’s party, which helped in terms of passing the budget, called on the ANC to reverse the VAT hike.
Mashaba said if it wasn’t for ActionSA’s intervention, the country would still be without the budget because of the DA.
“All the government departments would not really be able to operate, and VAT was going to come in. So we did everything possible to ensure that we don’t let VAT come May 1,” he said.
“What the DA was proposing was to throw this bag to the minister of finance to start all over again. But where were they in the last nine months?” Mashaba asked.
The VAT hike is expected to come into effect on May 1.
Politics
