Riotous Assembly Maimane under fire in DA over peace deal
| Bid to forge agreement to end hostilities founders as opposition battles to speak with one voice Caucus up in arms over leader’s ’soft approach’ to Ramaphosa
THE political deal brokered by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa this week to temper hostilities in parliament came unstuck after DA parliamentary leader Mmusi Maimane faced rebukes from within his caucus.
The Sunday Times can reveal that the deal began unravelling on Tuesday after senior DA MPs expressed disagreement over the nature of the pact with Ramaphosa. Maimane, they said, went into the meeting without consulting colleagues, and emerged with nothing but vaguely worded promises.
But Maimane has sought to downplay the criticisms, saying he had the support of most party members, and that the DA caucus was a place for “frank and vigorous” debates.
At this stage, there seems to be no revolt against his leadership, especially after the ANC’s hardline politics forced opposition parties to unite. “Mmusi is our parliamentary leader. Currently, we have no alternative. If he fails, we all fail,” one DA MP said.
Nevertheless, several DA MPs criticised Maimane for agreeing to the terms of Ramaphosa’s peace deal on Tuesday, saying he failed to maintain opposition unity after police stormed into the National Assembly.
“I’d hate to think he [Ramaphosa] is doing to Mmusi what he did to Roelf Meyer,” said one prominent MP, referring to Ramaphosa’s negotiating tactics during the democratic transition.
“Well, we’ve certainly lost our swagger,” said another DA MP.
The MPs felt Maimane revealed a lack of experience and could have driven a harder bargain over President Jacob Zuma’s failure to appear in the House and allegations of bias on the part of Speaker Baleka Mbete.
The ANC and opposition parties held a meeting on Tuesday night, with the ruling party represented by Gerhard Koornhof (parliamentary councillor to Ramaphosa), ANC Chief Whip Stone Sizani, Deputy Justice Minister John Jeffery and Defence Minister Nosiviwe MapisaNqakula. DA MPs included Maimane, Mike Waters, John Steenhuisen and Geordin HillLewis.
The ANC wanted the DA to withdraw the motion to censure Zuma, and Maimane seemed to agree, but the rest of the DA delegation refused.
The eventual outcome has been variously interpreted. The DA claimed it was decided that the motion would be discussed the next day. The ANC said they agreed that the motion would be softened or withdrawn. Each side has since accused the other of bad faith.
Shortly after the deal fell apart, DA MPs met at an extraordinary caucus meeting. At least three MPs raised concerns and Maimane was hauled over the coals, but there was also support for his concern that parliament continued to function.
DA MPs were also unhappy that Maimane had agreed to serve as co-deputy of a crossparty political discussion committee, a move they said would blur the lines separating the executive from the legislature.
Pressures from within the party also explain why Maimane
We have no ‘Luthuli House culture’ in the DA
forged ahead with his motion to censure Zuma on Wednesday, which took both Ramaphosa and the ANC by surprise after the apparent agreement.
On Friday Maimane confirmed that the initial agreement had caused disquiet in his party, but he said he had the support of most party members.
“I took the caucus through the agreement and what had been negotiated, and the whole caucus was supportive, he said.
“In the DA, we don’t expect that every member of the caucus must blindly follow the instructions of the party leadership.
“We have no ‘Luthuli House culture’ in the DA. Our caucus is always a place of frank and vigorous debate, and that is exactly how we like it to be.”
DA leader Helen Zille said she had no say in the matter and that Maimane needed nobody’s mandate when he met Ramaphosa.
“He went in there with no mandate. He’s quite capable as the parliamentary leader to make up his mind as to how to proceed with the DA’s mandate.” Members of the DA cast their votes during elections for new leadership at the party’s Gauteng provincial congress in Boksburg, east of Joburg, yesterday. John Moodey was re-elected Gauteng leader