SA Politics Thread Part 11: The GNU Normal

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TheChamp said:
That's actually his secret weapon, looking harmless to his enemies, he is the kind of boxer who knocks you out in each round but at the end you still believe you were better than him and could have beaten him with more time.

Even today uBaba still believes Cyril is a small boy.
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His even betterer secret weapon is the actual act of doing nothing.

Very scary indeed! :ROFL:
 
Bewlen said:
His even betterer secret weapon is the actual act of doing nothing.

Very scary indeed! :ROFL:
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LIES!
He does alot, usually protecting the living fsck out of his party members cos they're so shyte and criminals as well.
 
The Cat who is not the real Cat is appearing in court today for attempted murder, alongside his wife, they are accused of plotting to murder the side chick.
 
ToxicBunny said:

Lets see how this plays out, the DA have painted the ANC into their own little corner on this one. Squirrel properly fscked things up by firing Whitfield.
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The government of national unity (GNU) is hanging by a thread, with the DA poised to sink a critical piece of budget legislation and the ANC facing a crucial national executive committee (NEC) meeting at which the partnership with the DA will come under heavy fire.

The two parties have not interacted to discuss the impending crisis. The GNU’s dispute resolution mechanisms are defunct, and leaders on both sides are seething over the treatment they have received from one another since the budget crisis began in early April.

The Appropriations Bill is one of two critical pieces of legislation that implement the budget. It enables budget allocations to flow from the Treasury to national government departments. If it fails to pass through Parliament, the flow of funds is throttled.

In the first four months of the financial year beginning 1 April, departments can continue to spend in line with the previous year’s Appropriations Act to a limit of 45% of the total budget. Thereafter, departments can draw 10% of the total budget per month, and may not exceed the total budget for the previous year. The implication is that departments will run out of money to pay basics such as salaries, several months before the end of the financial year.


‘Huge resistance’​

While the DA has not said it will not vote for the Appropriations Bill, it is resolute that it will not support the budget votes of the Minister of Higher Education, Nobuhle Nkabane; and the Minister of Human Settlements, Thembi Simelane, who have been implicated in unethical and possibly illegal behaviour. They have demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa remove the implicated ministers to secure their votes.

The DA’s threat not to support certain budget votes followed Ramaphosa’s dismissal of Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition Andrew Whitfield two weeks ago. The DA also said it would withdraw from the National Dialogue, a move that drew unprecedented, scathing public criticism of DA leader John Steenhuisen by Ramaphosa.

All 42 national votes in the budget must pass with a majority in the National Assembly to pass the Appropriations Bill. If one vote fails to pass, then the final vote on the Appropriations Bill cannot proceed.

The ANC has approached at least one party outside the GNU — ActionSA — to support the Appropriations Bill. Asked for comment, the ANC’s Chief Whip, Mdumiseni Ntuli, said: “It is inevitable that the ANC will engage with all parties to support the budget.”


ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula did not respond to a request for comment.

However, several influential ANC public representatives and government functionaries were emphatic that if the DA does not support the Appropriations Bill, it will have defined itself outside of the GNU.

“The DA has been pushing the ANC against a wall, and they will meet up with huge resistance. They are gradually getting out of tune with what the GNU is about,” said a top government advisor.
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Seems like the GNU is simply an ANC decoy according to them...
DA Chief Whip George Michalakis said in an interview on Tuesday that the DA was aware that if a majority cannot be secured for a single vote, “then the whole Appropriation Bill fails”.

Asked about the consequences of this for the GNU, Michalakis said: “The budget process and our presence in the GNU are two separate things. It all depends on what the president is willing to do. Hopefully, between now and the vote on 23 July, the president will do the right thing.”

Enormous frustration​

DA spokesperson Willie Aucamp confirmed that the DA would not vote for the two budget votes it had singled out two weeks ago. He said the caucus had not met since the allegations about Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu surfaced.

Steenhuisen did not reply to a request for comment on the implications for the GNU.

Other DA leaders speaking off the record over the past week expressed enormous frustration with the ANC, saying that it lacked principles and ethics, was chaotic and could not be salvaged.

“We cannot continue like this,” said one senior leader.

The chair of the Standing Committee on Appropriations, Mmusi Maimane, said that without the DA’s support, Parliament might not have an Appropriation Bill.

“Parliament is sleepwalking into a budgetary crisis. There is no management of engagement to ensure that the votes have a majority. I have tried to rally people together to say this bill has to pass or else, but my impression is that the ANC has had enough of the DA and the DA has had enough of the ANC, and there is no dialogue between them,” he said.


The vote on the Appropriation Bill in the National Assembly is scheduled for 23 July.

At the end of next week, the ANC will hold a crucial NEC meeting, at which the DA’s participation in the GNU will come under scrutiny. This is the first NEC meeting since the budget crisis began on 2 April, when the DA did not support a vote on the fiscal framework.

A special NEC meeting that had been called to discuss the crisis was cancelled at the last minute by the ANC’s top seven, averting an almost certain decision by the NEC to remove the DA from the GNU.

Following the April incident, anger in the ANC’s parliamentary caucus and among its activist base was palpable. However, the more than 80-member leadership structure has not yet had an opportunity to discuss the GNU since these developments.

Several members of the NEC said that the meeting was anticipated to be a “difficult” one, with a big push against the DA. Some ANC leaders still believe that the relationship with the DA should be saved, as it was the only prospect of a stable government. However, others think that ActionSA — which assisted the ANC in passing the fiscal framework on 2 April — would be a more suitable partner.

ActionSA has six seats in Parliament, which narrowly gave the ANC plus the GNU partners – excluding the DA and the FF – a very small majority in the 400-seat house when voting on the fiscal framework. However, this would be a very tenuous alliance, with some very small parties able to extort concessions from the ANC on every voting issue and the ANC needing to have all members present to guarantee votes will pass. It would also leave Ramaphosa vulnerable to a motion of no confidence at any time.

However, ActionSA has already said it will vote against the budgets of Defence, Labour and Employment, and Higher Education. ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont said the party was open to engaging with the ANC both over the budget votes and the GNU, but it had strict conditions under which it would do so.


Beaumont said any possibility of ActionSA’s participation in the GNU would be contingent on a detailed coalition agreement of the programme of government, something the DA had failed to secure before voting for Ramaphosa to become president.

“We are available but sceptical that the ANC is really willing to engage and do the things necessary to move the needle on the economy,” he said.
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LMAO, expect ASA to save the ANC again to own the DA...
 
Agent69 said:
Seems like the GNU is simply an ANC decoy according to them...

LMAO, expect ASA to save the ANC again to own the DA...
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Absolutely, and then go on a Twitter campaign about how they're against the ministers budgets, while voting for them.
 
ToxicBunny said:
Absolutely, and then go on a Twitter campaign about how they're against the ministers budgets, while voting for them.
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Honestly, if ANC decides to vote against DA ministers' budgets and throw them out, and DA decides to call MONC...

I wonder what'll happen... Because in that scenario, EFF/MK/DA would vote together. Together they have 184 votes. They need 17 votes to pass the MONC. Meaning they'd need to get support from parties in GNU...

And let's say it does pass. What would happen next?
 
Sideshow Bob said:
maar DA will never compromise on principles working with corrupt ASA/EFF/MK, remember ?
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Yes, and? Like I said, perfect world.

I doubt voting together on a MONC or against a budget breaks them, anyway.

On what level of victimhood are you this morning? Did Home Affairs let you know they're revoking your PR or something? Why are you so ragy?
 
Agent69 said:
Honestly, if ANC decides to vote against DA ministers' budgets and throw them out, and DA decides to call MONC...

I wonder what'll happen... Because in that scenario, EFF/MK/DA would vote together. Together they have 184 votes. They need 17 votes to pass the MONC. Meaning they'd need to get support from parties in GNU...

And let's say it does pass. What would happen next?
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There are a lot of permutations...

GNU 3? ANC/EFF/MK? DA minority government + other parties?
 
Agent69 said:
Honestly, if ANC decides to vote against DA ministers' budgets and throw them out, and DA decides to call MONC...

I wonder what'll happen... Because in that scenario, EFF/MK/DA would vote together. Together they have 184 votes. They need 17 votes to pass the MONC. Meaning they'd need to get support from parties in GNU...

And let's say it does pass. What would happen next?
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New vote for a President basically, and cabinet is dissolved at the same time.

At that point Parliament CAN technically vote for new elections but its not a given.
 
Agent69 said:
Yes, and? Like I said, perfect world.

I doubt voting together on a MONC or against a budget breaks them, anyway.

On what level of victimhood are you this morning? Did Home Affairs let you know they're revoking your PR or something? Why are you so ragy?
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"Don't believe everything that you read on internet" - Shakespeare
 
ToxicBunny said:
New vote for a President basically, and cabinet is dissolved at the same time.

At that point Parliament CAN technically vote for new elections but its not a given.
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No, I don't mean that. I mean, what would come out of those processes...

What government would come out of them... And Parliament can only dissolve itself in 2027 (three years after last NGE)...
 
Agent69 said:
No, I don't mean that. I mean, what would come out of those processes...

What government would come out of them... And Parliament can only dissolve itself in 2027 (three years after last NGE)...
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50) Dissolution of National Assembly before expiry of its term​

(1) The President must dissolve the National Assembly if—
(1a) - the Assembly has adopted a resolution to dissolve with a supporting vote of amajority of its members; and
(1b) - three years have passed since the Assembly was elected.
(2) The Acting President must dissolve the National Assembly if—
(2a) - there is a vacancy in the office of President; and
(2b) - the Assembly fails to elect a new President within 30 days after the vacancyoccurred.
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From the Constitution.

So the only way to force new elections is if the vote is filibustered until time has run out.
 
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