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South Africa's DA leader calls for his predecessor to be sacked as minister

The new leader of South Africa's second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has called for former DA leader John Steenhuisen to be sacked from his cabinet post. The call escalates tensions within the coalition government and reopens the question of where the DA is headed. President Ramaphosa has not yet commented.

An empty parliament chamber with wooden interior detail.
An empty parliament chamber with wooden interior detail.Photo: Héctor Berganza / Pexels
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South Africa's Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest partner in the 2024 coalition government, has been pulled into an internal political crisis. The newly elected party leader has asked President Ramaphosa to remove Steenhuisen — who led the party for seven years — from the cabinet. The stated reason is incompatibility with party policy.

Steenhuisen has responded that he will continue in his role and that he supports the party's coalition strategy. His removal from cabinet could call into question the future of the agreement between the ANC and the DA, which would also cast a shadow over the government's reform agenda.

Opinion polls show the DA's voter base is divided on economic management and crime. The internal feud could weaken the DA's chances of capitalising on ANC vote losses in the 2026 local elections. The president's next move will be decisive for both government stability and investor sentiment. The rand and the stock index are tracking the developments closely.

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Source: BBC Africa
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This article is an AI-curated summary of the original story published by BBC Africa. The illustration is a stock photo by Héctor Berganza from Pexels and is not from the original story.

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