The IFP wants a bilateral meeting with the DA to understand its stance on the budget impasse in what seems to be a bid to ensure this does not destabilise the coalition government it leads in KwaZulu-Natal.
The meeting is to address issues including what the party says is the DA wanting to act “half pregnant” by wanting to be in both the government and opposition. After the IFP’s voting for the budget that includes a 0.5 percentage point VAT increase, the DA had a few harsh words, which the IFP is also seeking to clarify.
Both parties have enjoyed cordial relations for several years now, spanning from when the IFP was under the leadership of the late Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi.
But the budget impasse seems to have put a strain on that long-standing relationship, hence the IFP is seeking a meeting with the blue party.
The IFP leads the government of provincial unity in KwaZulu-Natal with the help of the DA and the ANC.
Mkhuleko Hlengwa, the IFP spokesperson who is also the GNU’s deputy transport minister, indicated on Tuesday evening that the party’s national executive committee decided at the weekend that it should have a “rational” engagement with the DA as well as the ANC.
“As you know we are also leading the GPU in KwaZulu-Natal so we have a responsibility to provide leadership above and beyond what is currently happening, and so we need to engage with our partners and understand the mindset of the DA, and then we will take a decision arising out of the outcome of that meeting,” said Hlengwa.
Hlengwa said his party was concerned by what he said was a string of character assassinations from some DA leaders.
“What is, of course, regrettable is that we have had character assassinations meted out to us by the DA preceding the budget by their emerging spokesperson who obviously would want to make a name for herself, mischaracterising the nature of the relationship and calling us the ANC’s backup singers,” said Hlengwa.
“That kind of belittling is immature and it’s not how coalition partners work and engage. Second, the attitude of their finance spokesperson in the debate is wholly wrong and misguided because it presupposes that we are beholden to one party over the other. What must be clear is that we do not carry the ANC’s bags, nor do we carry the DA’s bags.”
He also said that the DA wants to act as both the government and opposition.
“How we conduct ourselves must clearly define that we’re in government. You can’t be half pregnant in the GNU and say you are in government when it suits you and you are an opposition when it suits you,” he said.
Other GNU partners have also had harsh words for the DA for its conduct over the fiscal framework and tax proposals adopted by parliament last week, saying voting against its coalition collective was wrong.
UDM leader and deputy defence minister Bantu Holomisa said the DA was essentially a sore loser who had thrown its toys.
He said if the DA was really against the budget, it should have walked out of the vote in the National Assembly instead of going against its GNU partners.
By staying and voting against the budget, the DA essentially gave credence to the process and lost, said Holomisa.
“I think the DA forgets that they are in government and want to behave like the opposition. The DA is part of the government, they are appointed by the president to their positions. Now how do you take your boss to court on a decision that you were a part of? They participated [in the budget vote] and they were defeated. That decision is binding on everyone. Now you can’t say you are taking someone to court because you have lost,” said Holomisa.
“If they had stood up in the National Assembly and said ‘we are not going to be part of this, we are going to court’, then it would have been something else. They should have walked out. How can you participate in a process and then go to court when you lose? I think they were ill-advised on that one.”
PAC leader and land reform minister Mzwanele Nyhontso said the DA had politicised the budget process.
“The budget has passed. It was wrong of the DA to want to politicise the budget. It was wrong of them to use poor people to negotiate for things that have got nothing to do with the budget,” he said.
“For example, if they wanted to reject the budget they could’ve done so, full stop, and stick to their rejection, without mentioning the possibility that they can support the budget if we do away with Bela, Expropriation Bill, NHI, things that talk to transformation and redress.”
Rise Mzansi leader and Scopa chair Songezo Zibi said the DA essentially shot itself in the foot by recognising only the ANC in the GNU.
He said had the DA reached out to other political parties in the GNU, it would have received support on its position.
“As it happens, they were not the only party that was opposed to the two percentage point VAT increase, but they never spoke to anybody about it,” said Zibi.
“The only thing I can say about the difference between the DA and the ANC is that the ANC is more consultative, and the DA only consults with the ANC. And so, whenever there is a deadlock that must always be understood to be a deadlock between themselves and the ANC.
“There are instances where on the stated position the other political parties agree with the DA, but the DA doesn’t want to talk to them. The DA’s only friend in politics is the ANC, they don’t talk to anyone else. So when these disputes arise they are stuck with the ANC because they only talk to the ANC.”
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