The ANC on Thursday launched a scathing attack on its coalition partner the DA, claiming its recent Cabinet reshuffle proposals expose “deep political contradictions and a selective respect” for South Africa's Constitution.

The political friction erupted following a request by DA leader Geordin Hill-Lewis for President Cyril Ramaphosa to execute a reshuffle of the DA's team within the Government of National Unity (GNU).

On Wednesday Hill-Lewis asked Ramaphosa to remove John Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture and replace him with Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Willie Aucamp.

Hill-Lewis requested that Ramaphosa move Steenhuisen to the role of Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic); David Maynier to the position of Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment; and Alexandra Abrahams to Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy.

Hill-Lewis also wants Yusuf Cassim to be appointed as Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, and Jack Bloom to take up the position of Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation.

The ANC countered the DA’s public announcement, reminding it that appointing and removing members of the national executive is the sole constitutional prerogative of the President.

The party stated that executive deployments are not subject to the directives of opposition parties, lobby groups, or coalition partners.

According to the ANC, by framing these internal deployment decisions as a direct expectation for presidential action, the DA is showing a “selective and opportunistic respect” for the Constitution.

This public reshuffle has raised serious questions within the ANC regarding the DA’s genuine commitment to the GNU's foundational Statement of Intent, the party warned.

The ANC emphasised that all parties entering the GNU agreed to respect the country's constitutional architecture. It argued that the DA cannot claim to commit to the GNU while ignoring the authority and responsibilities of the President.

The ANC expressed deep concern over the DA's willingness to use vital economic portfolios to settle internal party friction.

Specifically, the ANC criticised the proposal to move Steenhuisen to the dtic, explaining that the dtic is a critical engine for industrialisation, job creation, investment, and economic transformation, and it should not be treated as a “convenient dumping ground for political under-performers or factional opponents”.

Moreover, the ANC took the opportunity to stress that government's foremost responsibility is “true equal opportunity”, which cannot exist without dismantling the structural barriers left behind by centuries of colonialism and apartheid.

It slammed the DA's ongoing opposition to broad-based black economic empowerment and other transformation frameworks, accusing the party of actively trying to reverse South Africa's progress toward a non-racial and inclusive society.

While Ramaphosa reflects on these proposed adjustments, the ANC maintains that it remains committed to engaging parliamentary parties to ensure national stability, growth, and nation-building.