Zille: We’re not in the GNU to please the ANC

DA federal council chairperson Helen Zille has described the government of national unity’s (GNU) clearing house mechanism as a “waste of time.”

On Tuesday, the party’s lawyers will appear in the North Gauteng High Court to challenge the Employment Equity Amendment Act (EEAA).

The party says this act will repel investors and negatively affect the economy. It also says the law is unconstitutional and discriminates against certain races.

This latest court challenge is among several court challenges that the DA has launched since the party’s inclusion in the GNU.

Clearing house mechanism is ‘not working’

Because of the diversity of parties in the GNU, a clearing house mechanism was established to handle disputes and disagreements among coalition partners.

“The clearing house mechanism is frankly a waste of time, it just does not work, and everybody acknowledges that.

“What we need is a mechanism in the GNU to implement clauses 19 and 18. We do not need to renegotiate the laws of the game or anything; what we need is mechanisms that implement the statement of intent,” she said.

Following reports on the DA’s latest court battle, the ANC described the DA as being anti-transformation and reversing democracy’s gains.

However, Zille says her party is not in the GNU to please the ANC.

“We are not in the GNU to please the ANC or anyone else. We are in the GNU because we want to stand up for South Africans and to make a success out of South Africa.

“Those of us who are in the DA believe that the DA has the best policies to achieve that,” she said.

Will the DA leave the GNU?

Despite the ongoing disputes with the ANC on various legislation, the DA still believes it is more effective inside the GNU than outside.

“At the moment, we believe that being inside the GNU gives us more leverage than when we are outside. I can’t say that this will always be the case, but that is not my decision.

“The DA has structures and procedures through which decisions are taken, and our job is to stand up for what we know is right, not to please other parties.”

Zille complained that there are not enough meetings between the top leaders of the DA and the ANC.

She said more engagements among the senior partners of the GNU would better relations between the GNU partners.

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Correcting the legacy of apartheid

She added that the DA does not believe using correcting the injustices of the past with “race-based” laws is beneficial to all South Africans.

“We say that you do not resolve the crime of race legislation, which defines everybody in terms of specific criteria they have no control over, in terms of the circumstances of their birth. You do not deal with that legacy by perpetuating it,” she said.

How should the DA behave in the GNU?

Political analyst Theo Neethling, from the University of Free State (UFS), told The Citizen that there is a possibility that the DA is under pressure from its constituencies to challenge unfavourable laws.

“Political parties are essentially political interest groups, so they will obviously try to do what they have been elected for. In this case, it comes as no surprise that the DA is going to court to challenge the Employment Equity Amendment Act,” he said.

Neethling said it seemed that the ANC and the DA still did not understand how the DA should behave in the GNU.

“It seems the ANC and the DA are not sure about how the DA should oppose the ANC within the GNU and within the broader coalition. I think the DA should see its role as a proactive and constructive force within government, but at the same time maintain its role as a check and a balance on the coalition at large,” he said.

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