Mashatile lambasts the DA for working against the ANC over budget vote

Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

Deputy President Paul Mashatile has lambasted the Democratic Alliance (DA) for opposing last week’s budget vote despite being members of the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Mashatile unleashed his political iron fists publicly at  two recent ANC events, the Solomon Mahlangu lecture in Cape Town, and the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation's business breakfast in Illovo, indicating to the fact that the DA was no longer welcome in the GNU.

He said it is disingenuous for DA Ministers serving in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 7th administration to show up for work on Tuesday despite that they didn’t vote for the budget. "I can see some of them are still working today as ministers, going around. I would be ashamed to do that because where does the budget come from? You're working as a minister but you did not vote for the budget, but you think it’s OK, you're going to work. I'm not sure what they are thinking,” Mashatile spared no punches.

Mashatile confirmed that the DA was forewarned of the consequences despite the decision to remove them as part of the GNU by President Ramaphosa.He said:“Before we went to Parliament, the president said to Mr Steenhuisen: 'If you don’t vote for this budget, you are defining yourself outside the GNU.'"

The decision by the DA and Freedom Front Plus not to support the budget in the National Assembly last week has given birth to serious discontentment within the GNU and has ruffled more feathers of the African National Congress (ANC).

The budget proposes a 0.5% VAT increase over two years, a move the DA has opposed, saying it would not support a budget that seeks to punish the poor.

However the DA said it was prepared to support it, if the ANC gave in to its demands including the running of the ports and reversing recently enacted laws, such as Bela and the Expropriation Act.

ActionSA came to the ANC’s rescue and its support was enough for the Fiscal Framework to survive the parliamentary vote, and leading the DA to challenge the matter in court.