South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday that his flagship national dialogue would proceed despite the withdrawal of the Democratic Alliance (DA), the African National Congress's largest coalition partner.
The DA quit the talks last week after Ramaphosa dismissed DA deputy trade minister Andrew Whitfield for taking an unauthorised trip to the United States. While the DA remains in the year-old governing coalition, it has repeatedly accused the ANC of sidelining it during key decisions -- frictions that have rattled financial markets.
"We can hold a very successful dialogue without diversionary inputs from a party that lacks the broader interests of South Africans at heart," Ramaphosa told reporters.
Moments later, DA leader John Steenhuisen branded the dialogue "a waste of time and state resources."
Launched by Ramaphosa to seek consensus on poverty, unemployment, and violent crime, the initiative now continues without the DA. The party has not yet named a replacement for Whitfield, and a spokesperson declined to say when it would do so.
Analysts say the uneasy coalition is likely to endure for now, though its internal disputes will remain a source of uncertainty.
