Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Democratic Alliance (DA) are reportedly nearing an agreement on the composition of the cabinet, aiming to establish a Government of National Unity (GNU) by the end of the week.
According to Business Day, after a series of negotiations since his inauguration, Ramaphosa and the ANC have had to make compromises, such as ceding key economic ministries to the DA.
The DA, in return, has scaled down its demand for 12 cabinet posts.
The deal reportedly includes the DA securing the trade and industry ministry, with Paul Mashatile poised to become deputy president and Enoch Godongwana to return as finance minister, the report said.
The agreement is seen as a critical step towards calming market jitters and balancing the needs of the ANC and DA while ensuring the effective implementation of Ramaphosa’s reform agenda, said the report.
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The president is expected to soon announce his new cabinet, which will include portfolios allocated to the 10 political parties that are signatories to the GNU.
Ramaphosa will announce his cabinet appointments after consultations with Government of National Unity (GNU) partners and ANC leadership, according to spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, The Citizen reported.
The timing of the announcement remains uncertain as Ramaphosa considers his constitutional prerogative under Section 91(2).
“He will apply his mind and exercise his prerogative as vested in him under Section 91(2) of the Constitution. At this stage, we are unable to give any timelines as to when he will announce his cabinet appointments,” the report quoted Magwenya as saying.
Recent discussions with DA leader John Steenhuisen confirmed the allocation of six portfolios and seven deputies to the DA, down from their initial request for 11 cabinet positions, including the deputy president post.
This followed a leaked letter from DA’s Helen Zille detailing their preferences across various cabinet clusters.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
