DA says it is ‘willing to speak to ANC to get a workable Budget on the table’

7 Apr 2025

As Deputy President Paul Mashatile doubled down on the ANC’s hard line on the DA for voting against the fiscal framework, DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp told Daily Maverick’s Ferial Haffajee his party is open to talks.

Question: What now?

Answer: Cool heads must prevail. Every decision we make must be in the interest of each South African. That interest is for the country, not for political parties.

Q: On Wednesday last week, relations between the ANC and DA seemed dire but talks are said to have reopened. Have they?

A: No, they have not yet. Our FedEx (Federal Executive Council – the DA’s highest decision-making authority) meets this evening. Every party will have clearer instructions. We never closed the door on negotiations. We are willing to speak to the ANC to get a workable, proper Budget on the table.

Q: Have any calls been made (by either side) to open the door?

A: The DA has made it clear we are willing to negotiate. The ANC went to parties outside the GNU (to get the fiscal framework passed).

Q: Is there room for accommodation and reaching out in the DA caucus, or is the relationship with the ANC too broken?

A: We’ve got to make decisions in the best interests of the country, not the party. We believe anything can be fixed.

Read more: ANC’s fallout with DA escalates as Ramaphosa pushes back on business pressure

Q: Business has asked the ANC, DA and IFP (the three largest parties in the GNU) to “stay the course, stay in the room, hold the line, keep building, compromise”. What does the DA think of this request and were you surprised to receive it?

A: When the DA joined the GNU we immediately saw investor confidence grow. Markets reacted positively. It was (therefore) not a surprise to receive a letter. We will take that into consideration when the FedEx makes that decision. The businesspeople out there believe the government is a better place with the DA at the table.

Q: In a now-leaked “Way Forward on Budget 2025” letter from the DA, the party writes: “The issue that currently confronts the GNU is not whether a 0.5% increase in VAT is implemented.” The letter goes on to sketch out options on the VAT increase. Since the vote on the fiscal framework, the DA has gone to the high court, seeking to interdict the SARS commissioner and the minister of finance from implementing the VAT increase come 1 May. Could you explain this?

A: The DA has said from day one that the Budget must have clear measures for economic growth and job creation. The document we put forward has numerous measures to stimulate growth immediately. The only way to make a Budget a success is to ensure expenditure cuts and specific growth measures.

Q: But doesn’t the Budget do exactly that? The Budget Review, for example, sets out reform measures in infrastructure funding and energy bottlenecks as well as other very clear growth metrics.

A: We’ve seen that many times – but it’s not specific. We’ve put clear implementation steps on the table. Showed where cuts can be made and which reforms can be implemented immediately. We are not only talking in broad strokes. We’re talking specifics.

Q: As a political watcher, it has been apparent to me that the DA has struggled with being in government while also being an opposition party?

A: That’s not true. Members of Parliament have an oversight responsibility. We act in the best interests of the country. That responsibility became an even bigger responsibility as we have our own members in the Executive (branch of government) and we must keep them to account too. This is something the ANC is not used to. As a majority party, they did not keep an oversight over themselves. Ever.

Q: The Presidency says the DA can’t be in opposition in government and that it is impossible to govern when you have rejected the Budget, the fulcrum on which the government pivots. What’s your response?

A: The Budget has not been voted on. The fiscal framework has been voted on. The other bills must still go through (the Division of Revenue and Appropriation Bills). The DA is open to negotiation. The fact of the matter is that our MPs will always keep doing oversight over the executive. DM

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