South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday, June 28, that Parliament will commence its next term on July 18.
This announcement comes amid ongoing negotiations to form a new Cabinet, which Ramaphosa aims to finalize well before Parliament’s opening date.
The discussions, however, have highlighted significant rifts within the newly formed governing coalition.
For the past two weeks, Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) has been in talks with the Democratic Alliance (DA), the country’s second-largest party, to finalize the details of a multi-party government.
The negotiations have been contentious, primarily revolving around the allocation of ministerial positions and portfolios. Leaked correspondence between the two former political adversaries has revealed the extent of the tensions.
Ramaphosa accused DA leader John Steenhuisen of “moving the goalposts” by increasing the party’s demand from six to eight Cabinet positions.
This, Ramaphosa argued, was jeopardizing the coalition agreement. On the other hand, the DA claims that the ANC reneged on a promise to grant it control over the crucial Department of Trade and Industry.
These disputes have also been addressed in recent face-to-face meetings between Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen.
The complexity of this coalition has been a point of concern for political analysts, who have long warned that uniting the ANC and DA to govern Africa’s most industrialized nation would be a challenging endeavor.
Historically, the ANC has been the ruling party, while the DA has served as its main opposition and staunchest critic for over two decades. The ideological divide between the two parties is significant.
The recent election on May 29 marked a turning point in South African politics. The ANC lost its parliamentary majority, a position it had held since the end of apartheid in 1994, and secured only 40% of the vote.
The DA garnered 21%. For the first time, the ANC is compelled to share power, creating a government of national unity that includes eight smaller parties.
Despite the broader coalition, the success of this government hinges on the ANC and DA finding common ground.
Grapevine Surrounding Coalition Agreement
Reports in South African media suggest that the DA might be close to abandoning the power-sharing agreement.
However, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, a key negotiator for his party, sought to quell these rumors.
On the social media platform X, Mbalula stated that the parties were “almost done” with the final agreement, promising that it would be “in the best interests of all South Africans.”
The initial coalition agreement between the ANC and DA, signed on June 14, brought a surge of optimism. South Africa’s currency and investor confidence strengthened as a result.
This preliminary deal enabled Ramaphosa’s re-election for a second term as president, with support from across party lines.
Both the ANC and DA proclaimed that the coalition would herald a new era of political unity, aiming to address the country’s severe socioeconomic issues, including some of the highest inequality and unemployment rates globally.
However, the delay in announcing a new Cabinet and initiating government operations has dampened some of the initial enthusiasm.
As the negotiations continue, South Africans await the formation of a functional government that can tackle the nation’s pressing challenges.
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