Cape Town – Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen said on Wednesday that discussions about Cabinet appointments, including the potential for a DA member to serve as deputy president, are premature.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Steenhuisen said that his party aims to make a meaningful contribution to the seventh administration by focusing on areas outlined in their manifesto, such as addressing unemployment, economic growth, and reducing national debt.
“I think it is far too premature to speak about those things. Once the president has been inaugurated today, we will start the discussions around the composition of the Cabinet and how that would look like.
DA leader John Steenhuisen says for the party, it is not about positions but being in areas where they can serve the people of South Africa. Steenhuisen says the party would like to focus on key areas such as infrastructure, the economy, and lifting people out of poverty. “We… pic.twitter.com/xL9ZdNhuLD
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 19, 2024
“First, it is not really about positions but it is about being in areas where we can serve and deliver on our manifesto. We said in our manifesto how we would rescue South Africa. These are key things that have to be done, to get off this high unemployment, low growth, high debt trajectory onto one of hope, prosperity, opportunity, inclusiveness for more South Africans,” said Steenhuisen.
He said this at the Union Buildings in Pretoria where he was attending Ramaphosa’s inauguration.
He highlighted the DA’s experience in local and provincial governance, advocating for strategic roles in infrastructure, economic development, poverty alleviation, and job creation within the new government of national unity.
“I think the DA brings with it enormous experience in governing at a local and provincial level. I think we would like to focus on some key areas, things like infrastructure, the economy, how we lift people out of poverty, how we create jobs, and looking at drivers for all instances.
“We would like to fit into positions there, where we can assist this government of national unity to achieve the goals.”
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
