By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Democratic Alliance (DA) has until Sunday to decide whether it will move forward with its participation in the Government of National Unity (GNU) following a final offer from the African National Congress (ANC).
The ANC has put a final offer on the table, which should pave the way for the formation of an executive.
Fullview understands that the Democratic Alliance (DA) will get six portfolios and seven deputies. The Inkatha Freedom Party will get three portfolios, while the Patriotic Alliance (PA) and GOOD party will get one each.
The DA initially had its eyes set on 11 Cabinet positions, their deputies and director-general portfolios; including a demand for the deputy president post.
This means the remaining of the Cabinet positions to be dished out will be given to the ANC’s opponents.
Negotiations between the two parties took a turn for the worse after President Cyril Ramaphosa altered the terms of an earlier offer to the DA on Wednesday night.
Fullview understands that this has angered the DA’s leadership which has now threatened to walk away from the GNU unless Ramaphosa sticks to his original offer.
Agreement with the DA on the composition of the cabinet will be a critical step towards establishing a GNU. It has the potential to calm markets, which have been jittery in recent days on worries that the give-and-take negotiations over the past week have exposed deep-seated ideological differences among GNU members.
Constitutionally, appointments to the national executive are the sole prerogative of the president.
Ramaphosa is expected to meet with individuals taking up the portfolios he allocated to them, including ANC’s alliance partners, before announcing his executive.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said that the president will make his announcement after consultations with GNU partners and ANC leadership.
“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.”
Traditionally, the cabinet is appointed soon after the inauguration, but there is no constitutional requirement on the time frame.
Ramaphosa must balance the needs of the ANC and DA, while ensuring that his national executive is capable of effectively implementing his reform agenda to prevent further decline in voter support for the ruling party.