The vote on the fiscal framework and revenue proposals (national budget) in national assembly on Wednesday exposed the deep cracks within the GNU, while it revealed that that the Progressive Caucus (PC) was solid as a rock.
In what no one would have ever imagined, the GNU blue-eyed-boys, DA, voted in rejection of the budget, a position sharply driven by the MKP and EFF-led Progressive Caucus.
The DA’s vote against the budget has raised questions about the sustainability of the GNU with the ANC, which passed the budget thanks to smaller parties including ActionSA and IFP among others.
DA voted itself out of GNU
ANC politicians are already speaking of a DA that has voted itself out of the GNU suggesting that a GNU with the DA might be history.
While much has been said about the relevance of the Progressive Caucus following massive political fallout between MKP and EFF, the bloc has proved to be resilient, and unanimously voted against the budget as they resolved in their caucus meeting building up to the important vote.
The Progressive Caucus is comprised of MKP, EFF, ATM, National Coloured Congress as well as the United Africans Transformation (UAT).
The PC alliance has proven that with political maturity, unity of purpose was possible despite political differences.
This despite the 10 MKP vacant seats and their absent Leader of Opposition John Hlophe who skipped the most important day in parliament yet of this administration, as well as his other colleagues who were absent, thus costing the left block the much-needed numbers to win using the DA.
Absent MPs, vacant seats, helped the ANC budget vote
With the three absent MKP MPs and the 10 vacant seats in place, the budget would have not passed as it did with 194 votes for, with 182 against.
In a strange turn of events, the DA, which joined the GNU using the MKP and EFF as a scarecrow to the ANC, joined the Progressive Caucus alliance position in protest against the ANC, which has been steadfast in rejecting their demands.
With DA’s endless tantrums that have placed it in the position that it is in, that of an uncertain future in the GNU, it remains to be seen if the Progressive Caucus will remain united, or some might be tempted to joint the GNU and bring about the end to this leftist alliance.
The ANC leaders are clear that the party is willing and ready to move on without the DA in the GNU.
They feel they have been held at ransom for too long by a DA that uses manipulation and bullying tactics to get its way. And like a spoilt brat, it throws its toys around when they do not get their way.
DA demands had nothing to do with budget
The fallout between the ANC and DA over the budget was a case in point.
“Towards this process, the DA sent the ANC a long list of demands of things that had nothing to do with the budget. Every time we had to remind them that the Expropriation Act, Bela and NHI had nothing to do with the budget, they continued to bring those things except the budget,” complained ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe after the passing of the budget.
“So, if they decide to walk out, I think we (the ANC) are more ready and psychologically prepared to let them walk. We will negotiate with everybody, including those outside the GNU. That is what we have been doing.”
With the threat of the DA leaving the GNU now a reality, it has far-reaching consequences if that is the route the blue party decides to take.
Their exit from the GNU might affect provinces like KZN, where a government of provincial unity was built with the help of the DA, working with ANC and IFP.
GNU fallout should not affect provinces
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa, whose MPs voted with the ANC in the budget, believes that fallouts at GNU level should not be extended to provincial government.
But the DA, to spite the IFP for siding with the ANC at a time they needed them the most, might be more vindictive and collapse the KZN government, where IFP has most of the spoils.
“National is different from provincial. So, now we will wait to hear what is the decision of the DA from here going forward. I think what happens at national should not influence what happens to KZN. Provinces must be given a space to do their own thing,” said a concerned Hlabisa, who insists the IFP did not vote for the ANC but for a budget that made “logic” to them independently.
