Ramaphosa Fires DA Deputy Minister Andrew Whitfield
South Africa's already tense political scene got even bumpier as President Cyril Ramaphosa abruptly booted Andrew Whitfield, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, from the cabinet. The move was confirmed by Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, who backed it up with a nod to the Constitution—yes, the president does have the power to hire and fire ministers as he sees fit. But it’s way more than a legal technicality. It's being seen as a shot across the bow in the uneasy power-sharing deal that's holding South Africa’s Government of National Unity together.
The official excuse for Whitfield’s ouster? Reports say he traveled internationally earlier this year without the proper green light from the top. The DA isn’t buying it. In fact, party insiders are calling the reason flimsy, even pretextual, basically accusing the presidency of gunning for a DA scalp over coalition friction rather than a bureaucratic hiccup. Helen Zille, the DA’s Federal Chair, didn’t waste any time. She called the party’s heavy-hitters to an emergency Federal Executive meeting and whipped out a hard 48-hour ultimatum for Ramaphosa. The DA wants clear, official answers—fast—or else. What "or else" means, nobody's quite sure yet, but you can bet it’s serious enough to put the pressure on the president.
Coalition Woes: ANC Ministers Under Fire, DA Feels Targeted
The timing for such open conflict couldn't be worse. Ramaphosa’s decision has come under fire since he’s kept ANC ministers like Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane and Human Settlements Minister Thembi Simelane in place—even as they face their own scandals and public outcry. While the DA claims their man was pushed out over a technicality, these ANC ministers remain firmly seated, despite fierce criticism in Parliament and the press. That’s got DA leaders and their supporters crying foul, questioning if the coalition agreement is being followed or simply used for political leverage. The perception bubbling up? The president picks and chooses who bears the consequences, and DA officials are more expendable than their ANC counterparts.
Vincent Magwenya tried to cool speculation by insisting this wasn’t part of a wider cabinet shake-up—just a one-off move to enforce standards. But if that was meant to calm things down, it hasn’t really worked. Coalition partners, government officials, and even members of the public are buzzing with theories about fractures inside the GNU. The DA’s top brass are already hinting at a “serious breach of trust,” with warnings that this firing could upend the fragile multi-party alliance the country’s been relying on for some much-needed political stability.
Right now, everyone’s watching and waiting to see who blinks first: will Ramaphosa provide the answers the DA is demanding, or is this the first big crack in South Africa’s ambitious coalition experiment?
