‘I TOLD YOU SO’

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema is a happy man with the Government of National Unity (GNU) on the verge of collapse after. 

The split between the African National Congress (ANC) and its coalition and the Democratic Alliance (DA) and other opposition partners looked close to breaking point after Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s controversial National Budget plan to add a 0.5 percent VAT hike passed. 

The yays won 194 votes to 182 against on Wednesday night. 

The DA’s decision to take the VAT hike and the fiscal framework document to court for review has now sparked a chain reaction that may ultimately lead to the demise of (GNU).

With ActionSA also indicating that they are also considering their involvement in the coalition, Malema says he told you so. 

He tells the media: “I'm happy that we were able to prove to South Africans that there is nothing called the GNU, it collapsed in front of us.”

Meanwhile, The Presidency has hinted that President Cyril Ramaphosa may re-evaluate the ANC's partnership with the DA, Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya reportedly confirmed.

Magwenya says: “You can't be part of a government whose Budget you opposed.” 

Magwenya added that Ramaphosa would “take his time” to reflect on the situation, but the writing appears to be on the wall.

The ANC has already begun to distance itself from the DA, with Godongwana before the Budget vote in Parliament on Wednesday saying that his party would have to draw the line.

He said: “You can’t vote against the Budget and the next day, you want to implement that Budget. We have to draw the line.”

Both the DA and the ANC are reportedly exploring options for new partnerships. 

A senior ANC member, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the party had attempted to broker a deal with the DA to keep the power-sharing pact intact but had been rebuffed.

The source said: “We are now in talks with the other smaller parties to get the GNU to grow bigger if the DA decides to leave the arrangement.”

The DA on Thursday morning filed an urgent court application at the Western Cape High Court, challenging the adoption of the 2025 budget. 

The party claims that the decisions taken by the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) this week were "fundamentally flawed" and "unlawful."

The proposed 0.5% VAT increase is set to come into effect on 1 May 2025. 

The DA argues that this increase will have a devastating impact on ordinary South Africans, who are already struggling to make ends meet.

The DA wrote in its court papers: “The VAT hike is a regressive tax that will hurt the poor and vulnerable the most.”