“Defiant” DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia has been removed from the party’s coveted shadow cabinet where he served as the shadow public enterprises minister.
This comes after Cachalia was said to have jumped the gun and “dared” the DA by airing his personal views on the Israel-Palestine war despite an instruction that a position is yet to be formulated on the conflict.
The DA parliamentary caucus had resolved that its MPs would not publicly comment on the Isreal-Palestine war, except its shadow minister on international relations.
Cachalia on Tuesday tweeted that he “will not be silenced” and that “Israel is committing genocide”.
On Wednesday TimesLIVE Premium reported that DA insiders believed he should be taken to task for “daring the party” at the parliamentary caucus.
On Thursday , after the DA caucus meeting, TimesLIVE Premium saw a letter sent by DA leader John Steenhuisen informing Cachalia of the decision to remove him from the shadow cabinet, where he was the party’s spokesperson and representative on the portfolio committee on public enterprises.
Now Cachalia will no longer enjoy the public profile that often saw him locking horns with public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan over his running of SOEs.
Steenhuisen said Cachalia’s actions had “undermined” his leadership, the party’s decisions and he should be held accountable over the matter.
In the letter, Steenhuisen tells Cachalia that at the October 19 national caucus meeting, it was agreed that an updated policy on the Israel-Palestine conflict must be formulated that will guide how its MPs react and respond to the conflict.
Steenhuisen further states that it was agreed in that meeting that DA MPs would “refrain” making public comments on the matter until the policy had been formulated.
He says that when party leaders tried to engage Cachalia after his tweet he “remained defiant”.
“Your conduct amounts to a display of remarkable selfishness. You have demonstrated a disregard for a formal decision of the DA’s national caucus,” said Steenhuisen in the letter to Cachalia dated November 2 2023.
Your conduct is deeply disrespectful towards your colleagues — many of whom feel equally strongly about this and other matters, but have nonetheless continuously engaged with each other, with the party, and with the public in an appropriately respectful manner
— DA leader John Steenhuisen
“Even worse, your conduct is deeply disrespectful towards your colleagues — many of whom feel equally strongly about this and other matters, but have nonetheless continuously engaged with each other, with the party, and with the public in an appropriately respectful manner.”
One of the reasons the country was in such a crisis, Steenhuisen said, was because President Cyril Ramaphosa had failed to hold those in his cabinet accountable, that would not happen in the DA.
“We cannot, and we will not, emulate the ANC cabinet’s consistent failure to uphold accountability or implement consequence management. It is the responsibility of all of us, including myself, to act in the best interests of the party in the lead up to the most important election in our history,” he said.
“Consequently, I hereby inform you that I have taken the decision to relieve you of your position as a member of the shadow cabinet.”
The decision to remove Cachalia from the shadow cabinet comes after a caucus meeting held on Thursday morning, according to three independent sources.
“The leader has communicated this, yes. Dr [Mimmy] Gondwe has been appointed to fill his vacancy,” said a party insider.
Another insider confirmed the news simply saying “[he is] gone from [the] shadow cabinet”.
Cachalia’s comments on Twitter were said to be viewed by some in the DA as going against the party position and the “gag” order given in caucus until a policy has been formulated.
Cachalia, however, disagreed, telling TimesLIVE Premium on Wednesday that the DA has not taken any stance on the matter and that he stood by his views.
“The party does not have a specific position on evolving issues, and as such, this is my personal view. The party’s overarching position is not dissimilar to the ANC’s, which supports a two-state solution. A return to pre-‘67 borders and that addresses the right of return,” he said.
DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi said at the time, the party had been concerned with the remarks made by Cachalia.
“It is remarkable that Mr Cachalia saw it fit to vent his opinions in this manner when this matter was discussed in great detail at last week’s caucus, wherein everyone including Mr Cachalia expressed their views,” said Malatsi.
“It is selfish to act this way when the caucus agreed on a process where everyone will have the opportunity to make their contributions towards our policy formulation on the issue.”
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