Discontent between the Government of National Unity (GNU) partners played out in Parliament on Thursday when DA leader John Steenhuisen left many guessing how his party was to vote on the Division of Revenue Bill following the axing of their member from Cabinet.

Although the Bill was ultimately passed, Steenhuisen’s address left the members, including Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, anxious about how the DA might use their unhappiness over the axing of Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield to withdraw their votes.

Speaking during the debate, Steenhuisen started off by narrating how President Cyril Ramaphosa had informed him of his intention to fire Whitfield as deputy minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

He said he had requested 24 hours to speak to Whitfield and inform the DA.

“However, before I could even do so, just three hours later, Whitfield received a letter informing him of his removal,” said Steenhuisen.

This prompted MK Party MP Brian Molefe to raise a point of order.

“The Speaker, with respect, is irrelevant to the topic of today,” Molefe said.

House Chairperson Cedric Frolick asked Steenhuisen to get to the topic dealing with the Division of Revenue Bill.

In response, Steenhuisen said: “I am setting out the reason why we will be voting as how we will be voting in the House today on this Bill.”

This drew heckling from the EFF, with Frolick asking the Red Berets’ Chief Whip Nontando Nolutshungu to ask her members to calm down.

“You don’t even know the reason yet, so let us listen to the debate, honourable members.”

Continuing with the debate, Steenhuisen said Whitfield was fired for not obtaining permission to travel abroad earlier this year.

He said Whitfield had requested permission to travel to the US on February 12, but did not receive any response 10 days later about the trip, and then subsequently apologised and again received no response.

Steenhuisen said Ramaphosa unilaterally removed “a DA deputy minister” without even giving the DA an opportunity to discuss with Whitfield.

While Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said Whitfield’s removal was not part of a broader reshuffle, Steenhuisen said it was a calculated political assault on the DA.

“What makes matters even worse, this unilateral action is a result and the product of a flagrant double standard. While a DA deputy minister is removed for not getting a response to seeking permission to travel, there are members in the Cabinet implicated in the VBS scandal and looting. There are members on the Cabinet who, despite apparently misleading Parliament over an attempt to deploy corrupt cadres to SETA boards, remain in Cabinet.”

While he did not mention the affected ministers, his prepared speech named Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane and Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane and Deputy Minister David Mahlobo.

He dismissed a suggestion by EFF MP Sinawo Thambo that Whitfield was incompetent.

Thambo had earlier congratulated Ramaphosa “for developing testicular fortitude to remove the DA deputy minister, who was incompetent”.

Steenhuisen maintained that Whitfield was succeeding in his job.

“He had opposed an attempt to make suspect appointments to the Industrial Development Corporation board. He was raising uncomfortable questions about the Transformation Fund opportunities for looting. He was asking uncomfortable questions about the Lotto tender award,” he said

.Steenhuisen said it would have been easy for a party treated with disdain by an irresponsible coalition partner to vote against the Bill, but the DA was nothing like the ANC.

“The DA will always put South Africa’s interests over narrow politics. We will vote for this Bill today, not for politics, but for South Africa.”

Closing the debate, Godongwana remarked that kushushu (it is hot).

Referring to Steenhuisen, he said there were often fights when the Budget was up for discussion in the House.

“I was worried my Budget again is in trouble. These ones are going to accuse me and say I can’t budget when you guys fight over all your issues, and my budget gets trapped in these battles. I am happy to place South Africa above anything else. We appreciate it,” Godongwana said.

Only the MK Party objected to the second reading of the Bill, and the Division of Revenue Bill was sent to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.

mayibongwe.maqhina@inl.co.za

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