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The ANC also slammed Powell for allegedly being sympathetic towards Israel.
Questions are being raised after Emma Powell resigned as the DA’s international relations spokesperson on Monday.
Powell said she decided to step down after being harassed, threatened and intimidated.
However, a political analyst from the University of Free State (UFS), Sanet Solomon, said there could be more to Powell’s resignation than meets the eye.
“Emma Powell’s resignation was rather abrupt given the work that she has been doing for the DA over the past few years.
“While some regard at indicative of the friction between the DA and the ANC, it is possible that she could be leaving for the opposite reason,” she said.
Is Powell frustrated with the DA’s role in the GNU?
Solomon said over the past few weeks the DA has been silent on numerous matters that it would ordinarily be opposed to.
She said this could be a sign of the party’s willingness to be a “good team member”.
“It could also indicate that it is straying from its core constituents, goals and values, making it challenging for Emma to continue in her current position,” said Solomon.
Powell claimed that her work as the party’s spokesperson on international relations has led to her being spied on, harassed and threatened.
ANC slams Powell for stance on Israel
But ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri questioned these claims.
She also criticised Powell for her position on the war in Gaza.
“As the ANC we find it interesting that her non-resignation is receiving more attention than her attempts to whitewash Israel’s genocide,” Bhengu-Motsiri said.
In her resignation letter, Powell said she had exposed the ANC and the department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) for their relationships with authoritarian regimes.
But she has also been criticised for going to Israel on a “fact finding” mission earlier this year.
Powell has been accused of being sympathetic to Israel despite the South African government taking a “non-aligned” stance when it comes to the war in Gaza.
She has been a fierce critic of ANC foreign policy and was also accused of discrediting the country in a trip she took with another senior DA member to the United States (US).
Powell says threats are real
Speaking to The Citizen on Tuesday, Powell said the threats to her life are real.
“All I can say on record is that I have various levels of protection already and I have for some time,” she said.
DA in support of Powell
DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp said the party is fully behind Powell.
“The DA is grateful for the outstanding work that Emma Powell has done whilst she served as our spokesperson for international relations and cooperation.
“She remains a valued member of the DA caucus in Parliament, and we will soon announce her new portfolio allocation,” he said.
Meanwhile, in response to suggestions that Powell might have been upset by decisions the DA has made since joining the GNU, Aucamp said it is important to keep in mind that no party won elections with an outright majority.
“It is very important that all parties that are members of the GNU respect and adhere to the statement of Intent that was signed when the GNU was formed,” he said.
ALSO READ: DA MPs in Israel: ‘We do not owe the ANC an explanation’
ANC’s foreign policy
Prof Dirk Kotze from the University of South Africa (Unisa) told The Citizen that the ANC will keep butting heads with the DA over foreign policy because it regards it as its own.
“They have regarded it as their domain since 1994 onwards, especially at the time when Thabo Mbeki was president; that was one of his most important areas of focus,” he said.
However, Kotze believes the tension over foreign policy is not strong enough to collapse the GNU.
He also indicated that foreign policy was a delicate area and has always been treated with care by all governments around the world.
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