DA ‘wants Steenhuisen as deputy president’ in GNU

As President Cyril Ramaphosa prepares to unveil a new Cabinet soon, the Democratic Alliance (DA) wants the president  to appoint at least 10 of its MPs in key economic portfolios and name party leader John Steenhuisen as deputy president in the government of national unity (GNU).

It is understood that Ramaphosa was expected to unveil his cabinet on Sunday following his inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria last week, but the DA’s demands has pushed this back several days.

Talks between the African National Congress (ANC) and DA have now hit a brick wall since the ANC offered a mere three Cabinet posts to the DA, while the party believed it could claim at least 10 of the 30 posts.

Steenhuisen for deputy president?

City Press reports the DA’s negotiating team went into discussions driving a hard bargain, and on Saturday wavered from its previous position that Paul Mashatile would remain deputy president, insisting for the first time that Steenhuisen become deputy president

“The ANC told us they were entitled to the positions of president and speaker because they are the largest minority party in the GNU,” a DA insider told the publication.

“By that same logic, the DA must get the position of deputy president for our leader, because we are the second-largest party. This is the norm in coalition governments the world over.”

However, according to the Sunday Times, the ANC said the DA’s demands were unacceptable with a top ANC leader saying “the Cabinet pie was getting smaller with more parties in parliament, such as the UDM, Patriotic Alliance, the PAC, Rise Mzansi and the FF+ having joined the GNU, after some of them initially snubbed it”.

With the deadlock, DA even considered withdrawing from the GNU, but it was agreed that lines of communication would remain open with negotiations expected to continue on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Could ANC and other GNU parties ‘gang up’ on the DA? Tony Leon clears the air

Portfolios

The DA would like to manage the following portfolios:

• Communication and digital technology
• Trade and industry
• Transport
• Public service and administration
• Water and sanitation
• Local government
• Health

The DA also wants to claim the deputy minister posts of finance and health.

Ganging up

Last week, former DA leader Tony Leon said it was possible for the ANC and other political parties in the GNU to gang up against the DA on certain issues.

Each of the parties in the GNU will push for its policies to prevail in the multiparty government, but they will have to compromise if the new set-up is to function.

“Matters will change issue by issue, decision by decision, legislation by legislation. But, once again if you go to clause 19 [sufficient consensus in the GNU], if there is a disagreement then the parties have to discuss it. There is even a provision for a party council of the parties making up the GNU.

“If they can’t agree, or they can’t reach a decision or consensus, then the deadlock gets broken by the parties that constitute 60% of the GNU. You can actually have a dozen other parties, but you are not going to change the basic arithmetic,” Leon said.

ALSO READ: ANC ‘outsmarted’ in GNU, says analyst