South Africa: DA Calls for ANC Punishment for Ramaphosa Speech

The DA demands penalties for the ANC following a speech by Ramaphosa. Discover the details and implications of this political clash.

On Thursday, the Democratic Alliance of South Africa filed a lawsuit against President Cyril Ramaphosa’s party, African National Congress in which they both share governance over the country. This was in response to his pre-election speech made in May.

The submission of court papers by the DA in May, prior to forming a coalition with the ANC, indicates initial tension between these newly joined political allies. Despite this early conflict, the party still proceeded with their legal action and submitted evidence to an Electoral Court.

The court was requested by the DA to impose a penalty on Ramaphosa, leader of ANC and his party for their exploitation of presidential speech which amounts to office misuse. The suggested punishment includes 1% vote reduction in May’s national election and $10,900 fine for Ramaphosa with an additional fine of $5,450 imposed on his political party.

On Thursday, the ANC characterized the DA’s legal action as “frivolous and unwarranted” and maintained that when delivering his speech, the president was adhering to constitutional requirements.

In his role as head of state, Ramaphosa delivered a speech three days prior to the election wherein he showcased certain achievements that he deemed successful during ANC’s thirty-year reign in South Africa. However, the DA contested this move by stating that such campaign efforts for ANC violate electoral regulations and are not permissible when speaking as president.

In the historic election, the ANC’s long-held majority was lost as it only received 40% of votes. This compelled them to establish a coalition government for Africa’s most industrialized country. Remarkably, despite being fierce critics in the past, one of seven parties represented in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet is now from DA which garnered 21% vote and deemed second largest party.

South Africa’s political scene was transformed by the coalition, also known as a “government of national unity,” following 1994 when ANC reigned with apartheid’s conclusion. The election marked an inaugural moment in South African democracy to outnumber the votes for other parties instead of Mandela-led organization and dethroning their dominance.

Despite their stark ideological differences and history of opposition, the left-leaning ANC and centrist DA are crucial parties in the coalition. Initially viewed as an unlikely alliance, they have successfully projected a sense of unity since agreeing to form this coalition over a month ago.