South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new, multi-party Cabinet on Sunday evening, marking a significant shift in South Africa’s political landscape following the African National Congress’s (ANC) loss of its three-decade dominance.
The announcement comes a month after the ANC’s share of the vote fell to 40% in the 29 May national elections, resulting in a historic loss of its parliamentary majority since the end of apartheid in 1994. The ANC’s diminished position led to the formation of a coalition government involving nine other parties.
Ramaphosa’s “unprecedented” Cabinet includes ANC officials in 20 of the 32 ministerial roles, while the Democratic Alliance (DA), which won the second largest share of the vote at 21%, secured six ministerial positions. The remaining posts were distributed among smaller parties, reflecting the coalition’s broad-based nature.
Among the key appointments, Ramaphosa reappointed Paul Mashatile as Deputy President and named Parks Tau as Minister of Trade and Industry—a role that was a point of contention between the ANC and the DA. DA leader John Steenhuisen was appointed Minister of Agriculture, and leaders from four additional parties were included as new ministers in the Cabinet.
