Patriotic Alliance Vows to Defend President Cyril Ramaphosa, Kenny Kunene Criticises DA’s Threats

• The Patriotic Alliance (PA) has come out in support of President Cyril Ramaphosa following threats made by the Democratic Alliance
• Kenny Kunene, the PA's Deputy President, weighed in on the DA's threats to table a motion of no confidence in the president
• The DA is unhappy with Ramaphosa because of the stern action he took against one of the party's members, Andrew Whitfield

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – The Patriotic Alliance has come out in support of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The party's deputy president, Kenny Kunene, also criticised the Democratic Alliance (DA) after the party threatened to table a motion of no confidence against Ramaphosa. The DA were unhappy with Ramaphosa's decision to dismiss Andrew Whitfield.

Whitfield, the former Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, was fired for undertaking a trip to the USA without getting the approval of the president.

Patriotic Alliance throws weight behind Ramaphosa

Julius Malema has weighed in on the recent conflict between the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the African National Congress (ANC).

Tension has been brewing between the two political parties after President Cyril Ramaphosa fired Andrew Whitfield on 26 June 2025. The president removed the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry for undertaking a trip to the USA without approval.

With the two parties at loggerheads over the decision, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader urged the DA to leave the Government of National Unity (GNU).

What did Malema say about the DA?

Following the DA’s 48-hour ultimatum to Ramaphosa, Malema criticised the party’s decision to join the GNU in the first place. The Commander-in-Chief of the Red Berets said that the party should have allowed the ANC to govern as a minority party.

"If the DA was anti-corrupt and pro-poor, they should have allowed the ANC to govern as a minority party. They should have stood outside and allowed the ANC to constitute its government and continue to oppose the ANC if they want to do so," he said.

Malema added that nothing forced the DA to join the government, saying that it knew the ANC was corrupt before agreeing to join the coalition government.

What you need to know about the DA and ANC fallout

• Ramaphosa responded to the DA’s ultimatum as he defended his decision to fire Whitfield.
• The DA opted to withdraw from the upcoming National dialogue, saying it was a waste of time.
• ANC spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, said the DA needed to decide if it wants to remain in the GNU or not.
• Fikile Mbalula said the ANC took the DA’s recent threats about collapsing the GNU very seriously.
• Helen Zille said that the DA had the numbers to collapse the GNU if it needed to.

Zille sends stern warning to Ramaphosa

Briefly News reported that Helen Zille issued a strong warning towards President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Zille said that the DA was not making idle threats, adding that Ramaphosa had reached his second strike.

South Africans weighed in on Zille's comments, with some telling her that she needed to retire.

Source: Briefly News