JOHANNESBURG — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday that the country’s national dialogue initiative will move forward despite the withdrawal of the Democratic Alliance (DA), his government’s main coalition partner, from the process.
The DA, which holds the second-largest share of seats in the ruling coalition led by the African National Congress (ANC), pulled out of the dialogue last week after Ramaphosa dismissed a deputy minister from the party. While the DA has not exited the coalition itself, the fallout highlights ongoing tensions within the multiparty government formed last year.
Speaking to reporters, Ramaphosa expressed confidence that the national dialogue could still succeed. “We will likely have a very successful dialogue without diversionary inputs or interference from a party that does not prioritize the interests of South Africans,” he said, referring to the DA’s exit from the initiative.
The national dialogue was introduced by Ramaphosa to address South Africa’s most urgent social and economic issues, including widespread poverty, high unemployment, and persistent crime. DA leader John Steenhuisen dismissed the process shortly after Ramaphosa’s remarks, calling the dialogue “a waste of time and state resources.”
Financial markets have been watching the growing friction between the ANC and DA with concern. However, most political analysts believe the coalition government is likely to hold together, at least in the near term.
The dispute escalated after Ramaphosa fired deputy trade minister Andrew Whitfield over an unsanctioned trip to the United States. The president has requested that the DA nominate a new candidate to fill the position. The party has yet to confirm whether it has proposed a replacement.
As tensions simmer, the effectiveness of the coalition and the future of Ramaphosa’s consensus-building initiatives remain under scrutiny.