It has been four days since Cyril Ramaphosa was inaugurated as president following elections where the ANC received 159 seats in the 400-seatNational Assembly and the president has not yet announced a new cabinet.
Reports emerged at the weekend that the DA, one of the partners in the government of national unity (GNU), wants Ramaphosa to appoint at least 10 of its MPs to the cabinet in key government portfolios. It is not happy with the reported three positions that were allegedly offered by Ramaphosa.
The DA also wants Ramaphosa to name its leader John Steenhuisen as the country’s deputy president.
The Sunday Times reported that Ramaphosa was expected to announce the cabinet on Sunday, but new demands by the DA may push this out by several days. The Gauteng premier has also not been able to announce his new executive, after he postponed a briefing to announce it on Sunday without giving reasons.
The DA's demand that Steenhuisen become deputy president could be seen as a bargaining tool because the DA realistically does not believe it is entitled to the position.
There are also more parties which have joined the GNU and some may feel they need to be allocated cabinet positions.
On Saturday evening, the ANC announced there are now 10 parties in the GNU. If the DA is excluded from the list of parties in the current GNU, the ANC and the remaining parties in the GNU have 198 parliamentary seats.
The rapid pace at which small parties have been joining the GNU suggest the ANC could possibly secure the 200+ seats without the DA and thus avoid having to accommodate what some in the ANC see as ridiculous demands, made necessary by the ANC’s vulnerability following its poor performance in the elections.
With these difficulties between the ANC and the DA in reaching agreement about the composition of the new cabinet, a question needs to be asked — whether the ANC is preparing to lead government without the support of the DA.
It is understood the ANC has been actively recruiting others to join the GNU and if Mmusi Maimane of Build One South Africa, or the ACDP with three seats, could be persuaded to join the ANC-led coalition, it is possible the DA could find itself no longer an integral part of the GNU. ActionSA, which has six seats, has already said it would not join the GNU. The EFF, with 39 seats, said it would not participate in a coalition that involves the DA because the latter was racist.
Either way, the ANC is in a fix. Working with the DA has become tricky given its many demands, while working with the EFF is also tricky because it is conditional on the exclusion of the DA. For it to happen, the DA would need to willingly withdraw because the ANC is unlikely to choose to exclude it. And yet the DA is also unlikely to choose to walk away, even if most of its demands are not met.
A GNU without the DA might be unstable, while a GNU with a sulking ANC if it is forced to appoint Steenhuisen as deputy president, will unleash havoc for Ramaphosa within the ANC.
The ANC is now feeling the effects of its dismal showing at the poll, and that showing is likely to reflect on the drastically reduced number of ministerial posts its members receive.
Though the administration of government is unlikely to be affected as parties try to reach each other in the coming days, it is important that they work expeditiously to reach a deal before the rand is spooked. Further, the millions who endured the elements to cast their votes expect leaders to stop being selfish and prioritise the needs of the people and the national interest. Whether the country will get a GNU with or without the DA, the ANC needs to make a call. That the decision is overdue doesn’t mean the president shouldn’t be circumspect in how he arrives at it. The nation awaits him.
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