The coalition deal between the ANC and the DA has failed.
According to ANC sources, the deal is nearing completion due to difficulties and public spats between the two parties.
As part of the Government of National Unity (GNU) agreement, the ANC and DA established a voting base of approximately 60% support, with other parties also signing a letter of intent.
However, barely a week after Ramaphosa was elected president, the accord apparently failed due to a disagreement over posts and ministries.
This led to a flurry of leaked correspondence between the two parties.
“It’s almost over. The ANC in general was not delighted with a DA-led alliance. This has been exacerbated by the DA’s actions, particularly in terms of leaking material and letters to the media, according to the source.
Another source who was present at the high-level negotiations stated that the ANC negotiating team was dissatisfied with the DA’s approach.
“The way the ANC is being spoken to and how they (the DA) are perceived is problematic. According to the source, there is no necessity for the DA to form a government, thus they should not expect to dictate terms.
In a letter to DA leader John Steenhuisen, President Cyril Ramaphosa accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of acting like a chameleon during the Government of National Unity (GNU) negotiations, jeopardizing the creation of a unified government.
This comes as reports suggest that the Department of Trade and Industry portfolio is a bone of contention in the ongoing negotiations between the DA and the African National Congress.
Helen Zille, the DA Federal Chairperson, wrote a letter to ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula, alerting him that her party deserved several ministerial positions in the GNU.
Initially, the DA sought 12 cabinet positions, including that of deputy president. However, after some negotiations, the ANC agreed to offer the DA six cabinet roles.
The portfolios available were Home Affairs, Basic Education, Trade, Industry, and Competition (DTIC), Public Works and Infrastructure, Communications and Digital Technologies, and Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment.
However, Steenhuisen wrote to Ramaphosa, claiming that six jobs were insufficient. He sought two extra portfolios, totaling eight.
In addition to the six existing Cabinet ministries, Steenhuisen proposed allocating Sports, Arts and Culture, Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform, or Public Service and Administration to them.
In his final letter to Steenhuisen, Ramaphosa accused the DA of repeatedly moving the “goalposts” with their demands.
“I regard your approach in moving the goalposts as a continuation of what was articulated in your Federal Chair’s letter of 22 June 2024 on issues such as ‘sealed mandates’ of Ministries, through which the DA seemed to want to set up a parallel government that would operate outside the framework and parameters of the constitution-based method and protocols of running the government of the Republic of South Africa,” stated the politician.
According to Ramaphosa, the DA’s latest plans do not adhere to the values embraced and reflected in the Statement of Intent.
