‘Could be tonight, tomorrow or Saturday’ – ANC’s chief whip on cabinet announcement

As the country waits to hear who will be in President Cyril Rampahosa’s cabinet, the ANC’s Mdumiseni Ntuli says the decision will be announced very soon.

But he stopped short of saying exactly when.

“I don’t know when the cabinet will be announced. It could be tonight, tomorrow or on Saturday,” the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) member and its chief whip in the National Assembly told SAFM on Thursday afternoon.

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He said only President Cyril Ramaphosa knew, but the head of state was aware that he needed to “expedite the decision to address the challenges of the people”.

Working with other parties

Ntuli addressed the vying of political parties in the government of national unity (GNU) to stake claim on some posts in the cabinet, notably the Patriotic Alliance (PA’s) Gayton McKenzie of the Minister of Police position after he first asked for the Minister of Home Affairs job.

“The president has done consultations [with parties] about cabinet but ultimately it is him who makes the decision,” Ntuli said.

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When asked if parties knew this to be the case – in allusion to McKenzie’s demands and DA federal chairperson Helen Zille’s correction of ANC general secretary Fikile Mbalula’s statements on bringing other parties on board in the GNU – Ntuli said all parties were aware of it and if not it was their responsibility to familiarise themselves with the GNU’s statement of intent that they signed.

However, Ntuli said parties, and especially the ANC who proposed the GNU, were still in the process of establishing in practice what was envisioned in the statement.

A ‘magnanimous’ government

“We want the country to be capable and peaceful. We will agree on policies that will address unemployment and inequality,” he said.

“We want the government coming in to reflect the aspirations of South African society.”