“UNHAPPY Marriage”—Ideological RIFTS threaten SA

As South Africa’s political coalition navigates its turbulent waters, will resilience prove enough to keep this fragile alliance afloat?

At a Glance

  • South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU), a coalition between the ANC and the DA, is in a state of crisis after a year in power.
  • Tensions have boiled over after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired a DA deputy minister, prompting accusations of a “political assault.”
  • The DA has withdrawn from a national dialogue initiative and has threatened to vote against the budgets of “corruption-accused” ANC ministers.
  • The coalition endures primarily due to a shared fear of the alternative: a potential “Doomsday coalition” between the ANC and radical far-left parties.

A Coalition of Convenience in Crisis

A year after it was formed out of political necessity, South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU)—an unlikely alliance between the long-ruling African National Congress (ANC) and its main opposition, the Democratic Alliance (DA)—is facing its most severe crisis yet. The “unhappy marriage,” as some have called it, is being tested by public disagreements, power struggles, and deep ideological divides.

The latest flashpoint is President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to fire DA member Andrew Whitfield from his post as Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry. The DA has labeled the move a “calculated political assault,” while Ramaphosa insists he was simply enforcing cabinet protocol.

An “Unhappy Marriage” Boils Over

The firing of Whitfield has brought a year of simmering tensions to a boil. In response, DA leader John Steenhuisen announced his party was withdrawing from a national dialogue initiative and would begin voting against the departmental budgets of ANC ministers accused of corruption.

Steenhuisen has accused Ramaphosa of a “flagrant double standard.” “The president’s refusal to act against corruption within his own ranks but singling out as a priority a DA minister risks confirming that his oft-repeated public commitment to clean governance is a sham,” Steenhuisen said in a statement. He has also frequently touted the successes of his party’s ministers in the coalition, claiming that “In some cases, DA ministers have literally achieved more in 12 months than ANC ministers did in 30 years,” according to the BBC.

The “Doomsday” Alternative

Despite the infighting, most analysts believe the coalition will survive, held together by a shared fear of the alternative. The GNU was formed after the ANC lost its parliamentary majority in the 2024 election for the first time since the end of apartheid. The only other path for the ANC to form a government would have been to partner with radical, far-left parties like the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party.
This prospect, dubbed the “Doomsday coalition” by its opponents, has been the primary motivation for the pro-market DA and the South African business community to remain committed to making the current, more moderate coalition work. The stability of the government and the nation’s economy now hangs in this fragile political balance.

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