President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to announce his new Cabinet. (Photo: GCIS)
- President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce his Cabinet in the government of national unity (GNU) on Sunday night.
- The negotiations have been plagued by delays, leaked correspondence, and late-night meetings.
- The announcement comes after a deal was made between the DA and the ANC.
All eyes will be on President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday night when he finally announces his much-anticipated new Cabinet in his government of national unity (GNU).
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa was expected to address the nation at 21:00.
He said: “The new national executive will constitute the seventh democratic administration as a government of national unity comprising a diversity of political parties as an outcome of the national and provincial elections held on Wednesday, 29 May 2024.”
It will be televised on SABC TV.
The announcement is a historic moment in South Africa. The last time the country had a coalition government was under Nelson Mandela in 1994, when he appointed FW de Klerk as a deputy president and 10 ministers from the National Party and IFP.
The announcement comes after DA leader John Steenhuisen confirmed that a Friday meeting to mend relations with Ramaphosa had yielded positive results.
Steenhuisen said: “We have reached a deal, but there are final touches that still need to be done.”
News24 understands that the DA secured the following Cabinet positions:
Ministries:
1. Home Affairs
2. Basic Education
3. Agriculture
4. Public Works and Infrastructure
5. Communications and Digital Technologies
6. Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
Deputy Ministries:
1. Finance
2. Energy and Electricity
3. Small Business Development
4. Water and Sanitation
5. Higher Education
6. Small Business Development
7. Department of Trade, Industry and Competition
Ramaphosa was re-elected as state president for a second term during the first sitting of Parliament on 15 June.
The president, who battled it out for the position with EFF leader, Julius Malema, received 283 votes, while Malema scored 44 votes.
Ramaphosa, who is the ANC’s 13th president, was elected at the party’s 54th national conference in December 2017 after defeating former president Jacob Zuma.
The parliamentary sitting in June, which was presided over by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, saw the ANC’s Thoko Didiza elected as the National Assembly Speaker and the DA’s Annelie Lotriet elected as her deputy.
In the National Council of Provinces, former Mpumalanga premier, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane, became chair.
READ | How the delay in announcing the Cabinet is affecting Parliament’s work
Negotiations to the establishment of the seventh administration began with the signing of a statement of intent to co-govern South Africa after the ANC’s abysmal performance during the hotly contested May polls.
After the loss, Ramaphosa announced that the party would open its doors to negotiating with other political parties to form a GNU.
Ten political parties are now signatories, namely the ANC, DA, Patriotic Alliance, GOOD, Al Jama-ah, Rise Mzansi, PAC, UDM, IFP, and the FF Plus.
Negotiations have been plagued by delays, leaked correspondence, and late-night meetings.
Last week’s deadlock between the DA and the ANC led to Ramaphosa delaying his announcement of the new Cabinet.
Friday’s make-or-break meeting between Steenhuisen and Ramaphosa came after a scathing letter in which the latter admonished the DA for “moving the goalposts”.
News24 also understands that a EFF letter to the ANC proposing a coalition that would exclude the DA and FF Plus pushed the DA to accept Ramaphosa’s final offer.
The delays in the Cabinet announcement on Sunday were partly due to the DA still being in discussions about the names of the candidates they want to take up the various ministries.
