Officials said South Africa’s phytosanitary and biosecurity requirements are world class and the department is awaiting bilateral trade agreements to be resolved to begin exports of beef
Critics wondered whether the convention would follow through with local ward talks and implement recommendations
The DA claims it was proven right to boycott the dialogue after Deputy President Paul Mashatile instructed ministers to attend the convention virtually
Trade Minister Parks Tau said the US’s 30% tariff on exports has necessitated a balanced response between renegotiation, trade diversification and protection from an import surge
Several prominent foundations have withdrawn from the national dialogue citing poor planning and questionable spending
The Democratic Alliance won’t back the budgets for the departments of higher education, human settlements and police
The National Dialogue has not even begun and has already become irrevocably politically tainted
Democratic leader John Steenhuisen however said the party would withdraw from a national dialogue due later this year, calling it a waste of time and money and a distraction from the failures of the ANC
The scene in the Oval Office reflected the apartheid of the excessively wealthy, supported by Big Tech that peddles lies of white genocide, and the poor
Cyril Ramaposa showed the world that turning the other cheek does work, but Trump does not have the emotional intelligence to recognise this
But he secured tentative trade talks as negotiations with officials on a pact between South Africa and the US were set to continue
The presidency believes the US president knows his invective against South Africa is devoid of truth
The parties remain divided over an increase in VAT, which the DA says South Africans cannot afford
The stand-off between the two parties dates back to 19 February when DA leader John Steenhuisen made clear the party would not support a national budget that proposed a two percentage point increase in VAT
Tension between the DA and ANC persists but ActionSA may keep them together
The Democratic Alliance’s federal executive has held an urgent meeting to decide how to respond to an invitation to talks by the ANC’s national working committee
The ANC has bought itself time to decide whether to expel its constantly restive coalition partner
Both parties are mindful of the magnitude of a split as South Africa faces more economic turmoil
The Democratic Alliance now plans to challenge the fiscal framework in court, further raising the tension around its future in the ruling coalition
But the presidency said on Wednesday the crunch vote on the fiscal framework was a test of the party’s commitment to the GNU
The agreement came thanks to a lifeline ActionSA threw the ANC
The ANC has so far rejected conditions on which the DA would agree to support Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 0.5 percentage point VAT increase for the coming fiscal year
The ANC secretary general also said there was no truth to rumours that it and the DA had reached an agreement
The Democratic Alliance said the budget would struggle to pass in parliament, given the ANC’s lack of a majority
His party would have yielded if any increases were guaranteed to be temporary and tied to an overhaul of state spending patterns
The finance minister suggests that much of the opposition wrangling is part of a broader political battle
The president is taking a transactional approach to resolving a diplomatic tempest
The Democratic Alliance has suggested cutting government budgets for advertising, travel and catering, and a freeze on hiring for non-essential positions to make up the budget shortfall
Analysts say the budget became a cliffhanger because it was written as though the ANC still governed on its own
The DA has upped the ante in its demands for consultation on every point of government policy, although ANC ministers also opposed a planned VAT increase
The US embassy in Pretoria distributed the missive on Monday, days after it was published by the White House
The president was applauded for his stance on Trump’s backlash against South Africa, saying racial redress, equality and diversity would not be abandoned