More political drama
Out of nowhere, a dense fog has crept over South Africa’s political landscape. Not long after the 10-party government of national unity (GNU) reached the milestone of its first anniversary, its future looks shaky. President Ramaphosa unexpectedly fired Andrew Whitfield, a DA deputy minister, for the seemingly minor transgression of not getting approval to travel overseas in February. This is unlikely to be the real reason, and it caused much unhappiness on the part of the DA. Although the party indicated that it would not leave the GNU as it is not in the best interest of South Africa, it will pull out of Ramaphosa’s planned National Dialogue. More importantly, the relationship between the ANC and the DA, the two largest members of the governing coalition, took another knock. The question of whether it will be a fatal blow is too soon to answer.