JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa’s African National Congress (ANC) will hold more talks with its key coalition partner the Democratic Alliance (DA) after DA lawmakers voted against the budget, a senior party official said on Tuesday.
“We are now deeply concerned by the conduct of the Democratic Alliance … the DA has simultaneously acted as an opposition force. It seeks to divide government, confuse the public,” ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula told a press conference.
The ANC remains committed to the coalition, referred to locally as the Government of National Unity, Mbalula added.
The official in charge of the day-to-day running of South Africa’s biggest political party was speaking after top ANC officials met on Monday to discuss the way forward after last week’s fractious budget vote in parliament.
The ANC relied on a small political party outside the coalition to pass the budget’s fiscal framework.
Senior DA officials also met on Monday to discuss their stance on the coalition, though a party spokesman said no decision had been taken at that meeting.
(Reporting by Nellie Peyton and Bhargav Acharya;Writing by Sfundo Parakozov;Editing by Alexander Winning)
