The African National Congress has responded to the letter by DA's federal chairperson Helen Zille where the party is demanding 12 cabinet positions in the Government of National Unity (GNU). DA's demands were leaked in a letter sent to the ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.
In their list of demands, the DA further demanded that the ANC give them power to employ their own director-generals in the portfolios they are going to lead. In a statement issued late yesterday, ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri said: "The ANC notes with concern that some parties have been making outlandish and outrageous demands for specific cabinet positions in the media. Negotiating through leaking demands to the media is an act of bad faith and this practice will not help the cause of any party. It is only the President who has the final say on the appointment of his cabinet,".
Bhengu-Motsiri further said that the GNU cannot be held to ransom by any single party. "The people need a government to be established sooner, rather than later." The ANC confirmed that since the announcement of the historic agreement between 10 South African political parties to form an ANC-led GNU for the 7th democratic administration, Phase 2 of the establishment of the GNU is well underway with the highly anticipated announcement of cabinet by President Cyril Ramaphosa drawing close. "The outcome of the 2024 National and Provincial elections made it clear that 30 years into democracy, South Africans want political parties to work together to solve the important challenges facing the country and improve the lives of our people. The ANC, as the party that received the largest number of votes, after considering various options towards the formation of government, resolved that the GNU model would best fit the national interest and took the initiative to engage all parties which won parliamentary seats towards the formation of a GNU," she said.
The latest ten parties that recently joined the GNU are FF+ (6), UDM (3), RISE Mzansi (2), Al Jamah (2), PAC (1) and GOOD (1). "Together, these parties represent an overwhelming majority of over 70% (287) of the 400 seats in the National Assembly. During this first phase towards the formation of the ANC-led GNU, parties in Parliament also worked together to elect the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, President as well as the Chairperson of the NCOP," she said. "Provincial Legislatures and governments have been established in Limpopo, Eastern Cape, North West, Free State and Mpumalanga, where the ANC has an outright majority, a government led by the ANC in Northern Cape, government led by the DA in the Western Cape, where it has an outright majority, and a Government of Provincial Unity led by the IFP in KZN," she said.
