South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Friday that Parliament will commence its next term on July 18. This comes as Ramaphosa remains engaged in negotiations with other parties to form a Cabinet well before the session starts, amid rifts in the new governing coalition.
The discussions to finalize a multi-party government and appoint a Cabinet have been ongoing for two weeks, characterized by disagreements between Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA), the second-largest party. These tensions revolve around the allocation of ministerial positions and portfolios.
Leaked correspondence between the two former political rivals has highlighted these disputes. In one letter, Ramaphosa accused DA leader John Steenhuisen of “moving the goalposts” by increasing the party’s demand from six to eight Cabinet positions, thereby jeopardizing the coalition agreement. The DA, on the other hand, claims that the ANC reneged on a promise to allow it control of the crucial Department of Trade and Industry.
Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen have had several face-to-face meetings in recent days to resolve these issues. Analysts have warned that a coalition between the ANC and DA, which have starkly different ideologies, would be complicated. The ANC has been the ruling party, while the DA has been the main opposition and its fiercest critic for over 20 years.
The ANC lost its dominance and parliamentary majority in the May 29 election, winning 40% of the vote, while the DA secured 21%. This unprecedented situation has forced the ANC to share power for the first time. Although eight smaller parties have also joined the coalition, the ANC and DA are the key players, and the coalition’s success depends on their ability to find common ground.
South African media has speculated that the DA might walk away from the power-sharing agreement. However, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, one of the party’s lead negotiators, dispelled these rumors on Friday by posting on social media that the parties were “almost done” with the final agreement. He assured that it would be completed as promised and would be “in the best interests of all South Africans.”
Following the preliminary agreement between the ANC and DA on June 14, South Africa’s currency and investor confidence strengthened. This deal allowed Ramaphosa to be re-elected by lawmakers for a second term as president with cross-party support. Both parties had declared that the coalition would mark a new era of political unity aimed at addressing the country’s significant socioeconomic problems, including high rates of inequality and unemployment. However, the delay in announcing a Cabinet has eroded some of the initial optimism.
