Thabo Mbeki says DA should consider leaving GNU after withdrawing from national dialogue

Published 6 days ago• 2 minute read

Mbeki says DA should consider leaving GNU after withdrawing from national dialogue

Former President Thabo Mbeki has unleashed a blistering critique of Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen in an 11-page open letter, calling the DA’s decision to withdraw from the upcoming National Dialogue “misplaced” and “strange.”

Mbeki argued that it would have been more logical for the DA to exit the Government of National Unity (GNU) entirely, given their evident frustrations with President Cyril Ramaphosa and the African National Congress (ANC).

The DA’s boycott of the National Dialogue, set to begin on 15 August 2025, stems from the dismissal of DA Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield from the Trade, Industry, and Competition portfolio.

Steenhuisen labeled the move “excessive,” accusing Ramaphosa of double standards for not acting against ANC ministers implicated in corruption scandals.

In response, Mbeki accused Steenhuisen and DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille of arrogance, particularly criticizing Zille’s claim that the dialogue is an ANC election strategy for 2026.

Mbeki defended the dialogue’s legitimacy, emphasizing its origins in a 2016 agreement by the National Foundations Dialogue Initiative, comprising foundations like those of FW de Klerk, Desmond and Leah Tutu, and his own Thabo Mbeki Foundation.

He clarified that the initiative is citizen-led, not ANC-driven, and funded by volunteers and foundations, with additional support expected from the National Treasury. “The National Dialogue will be a true ‘Parliament of the People,’” Mbeki wrote, urging the DA to reconsider its stance to avoid isolating itself from South Africans shaping the country’s future.

President Ramaphosa echoed Mbeki’s sentiments, calling the DA’s withdrawal hypocritical and asserting that the dialogue will proceed without them.

Steenhuisen, however, doubled down, describing the initiative as a “talk shop” that distracts from urgent action needed to address South Africa’s crises.

The letter has sparked mixed reactions online, with some praising Mbeki’s defense of the dialogue and others backing the DA’s push for accountability.

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