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Gauteng cabinet: What’s the real story?
DA's Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga, forges ahead with forming shadow provincial Cabinet to challenge ANC dominance.
Solly Msimanga said the DA did not ask for a department. Picture: Nokuthula Mbatha / African News Agency (ANA)
The DA’s Gauteng leader, Solly Msimanga, is going ahead and forming his shadow provincial Cabinet and will fight the ANC in the province as an opposition party.
“We never fought for a particular department. We said there should be proportional representation. We were not at any particular departments yet; we were still at how to deal with government.
“Once you know how to share power, then the issue of portfolios will come. Once you know which portfolios you want to get and what kind of impact you can put into those departments, you can better deliver services to the people,” he said.
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Msimanga said no new offers were on the table, despite premier Panyaza Lesufi saying he was willing to renegotiate and offer the DA more positions.
“He said that to the media, not to us.” Msimanga said until now, the ANC had been prepared to offer the DA a maximum of three out of 10 Cabinet seats.
DA may have made right call
Political analyst Khanya Vilakazi said if the DA was unhappy about the allocations given, it had a right to do something about it.
“On principle, if the DA made the decision to be the official opposition, if this decision was made to make sure they could hold the ANC accountable – whether in government or through the various committees – it was a good position.”
Vilakazi said the DA’s decision to become the opposition showed a level of maturity and political steadfastness.
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Political analyst Piet Croucamp said the reason the EFF were not involved was because the ANC had said at national level it would not enter into an agreement with the party regarding the government of national unity agreement.
Croucamp said the DA was now a stronger opposition with more members in the legislature, while the ANC was in a lesser position.
“The DA’s big problem will now be to step in on a budget and policies that are determined by the ANC with the support of the EFF.
“The DA will keep its eyes on Lesufi because he does not distinguish between local and provincial government.”
Freedom Front Plus national chair Anton Alberts said the party condemned Lesufi’s blatant opportunism in undermining the establishment.
