Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said on Thursday that conflict over policy in the Government of National Unity (GNU) is not necessarily an existential threat, however, that does not mean that the DA will never walk away from the GNU under any circumstances.

Steenhuisen gave an address to the Cape Town Press Club, a day after Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya warned party leaders against threatening the stability of the GNU.

This after the DA warned President Cyril Ramaphosa against signing the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill into law, saying if he did, he would be violating the letter and spirit of the joint Statement of Intent, that forms the basis of the GNU.

Steenhuisen said his party would not shy away from conflict when it was confronted with actions that would inflict “serious and lasting damage” to the country or to the Constitution that underpins the country’s democracy. 

He said it was the DA’s priority to grow the economy and create jobs, saying if the GNU could not do that, there was no point being part of it. 

“Indeed, if the African National Congress (ANC) insists on taking South Africa down the path to economic ruin, it would be the DA’s patriotic duty to leave the government and use our position in Parliament to stop the slide into catastrophe,” he said.

The DA could never in good conscience be party to an assault on the Constitution, Steenhuisen stated. 

“…the DA will not crash the government unless the government is crashing the economy or trashing the Constitution,” he asserted.

The DA, other political parties and some from civil society do not want Ramaphosa to sign the BELA Bill, as it is, into law on Friday.

“…among other issues, we believe the Bill compromises the rights of children to mother-tongue education. That is why I met the President on BELA yesterday.  

But if the President goes ahead tomorrow, the DA will have to consider all of our options on the way forward,” Steenhuisen said.

He pointed out that with 22% of the vote, the DA could not always get its own way inside the government.

“…actually, it would be undemocratic if we did. So, I want our supporters, old and new, to accept that. It’s how democracy works. Having said that, we will not accept a situation in which we get none of our priorities implemented. That, too, is undemocratic,” he said.

He explained that the DA held a balance of power in the GNU, highlighting that without the party’s support in Parliament, the government does not have a majority. 

“Our first instinct inside the GNU will always be to find common ground in the interest of South Africa. We have already proved this. We are working together with the ANC on every initiative that will take South Africa forward, and there is a long list of overlapping policies we have agreed on,” he highlighted.

He explained that in a multi-party government leaders needed to respect the constraints and imperatives of their partners, however, he said any leader that tried to “ride roughshod” over their partners would “pay a price”.

He said the same applied to the National Health Insurance (NHI), noting that the GNU needed to find solutions to the aspects of the NHI plan that Steenhuisen said could do lasting damage to South Africa, and government’s ability to deliver healthcare to everybody. 

“If we can find those solutions collaboratively we would be delighted. If we can’t, we will pursue the interests of the South African people through every other legal means at our disposal,” he said.