The ANC is likely to retain Enoch Godongwana as finance minister as negotiations for a new cabinet continue ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration on Wednesday.
TimesLIVE understands the ANC’s top brass has called for continuity in some key portfolios such as in the economic cluster.
ANC insiders privy to the talks said Godongwana would appease disgruntled national executive committee (NEC) members and its partners in the tripartite alliance. They said his retention would also quell adverse reaction from the markets and appease the business sector.
“There is an argument to be made in some portfolios for continuity given the challenges and the fact that we have to build momentum after the election,” a senior ANC leader said.
Another NEC member said the finance ministry was too critical and too important to the transformation agenda to be shared with the DA. This comes after the ANC had debated whether a non-political, independent finance minister could be recruited from the private sector as a compromise to its coalition partners.
This was thwarted internally during talks on forming the government of national unity (GNU), insiders said.
Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks confirmed this, saying Cosatu viewed Godongwana as being better than his predecessor, Tito Mboweni.
“Tito was an absolute disaster for us ... he chose to take a signed wage agreement between government and labour and tear it up. When workers complained about imposing a wage freeze for one year, he decided to impose it for three years. He walked away from collective bargaining. He really damaged collective bargaining in the state and caused huge problems in the alliance.
“I think the current minister of finance, who comes from Cosatu historically, has tried to rebuild that relationship, but having said that, there was still disagreement around the wage agreements that were signed. But definitely he was far better than Tito,” Parks said, adding that Ramaphosa must juggle too many moving parts when choosing his cabinet.
According to party leaders, the ANC wants to keep all economic and security ministries.
The Sunday Times reported that the ANC would want to retain home affairs, international relations, defence and state security. However, it was open to negotiating other portfolios such as the police and the two education posts.
A senior ANC leader said the DA was the only party the ANC was negotiating with on which departments it would receive.
Ramaphosa is unlikely to deliver on his promise to reduce his cabinet. ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula previously told the Sunday Times that Ramaphosa could keep the status quo or even expand the cabinet.
TimesLIVE understands the DA will negotiate for a minimum of five cabinet posts — and has its eye on agriculture, and trade, industry and competition.
Parks said Cosatu would not support a change in the trade, industry and competition industry portfolio, saying it was a sensitive department for workers.
“That is where support for local industries is centred. That is where protection for local industries and jobs is located. We did a lot over the years, as the unions, with trade and industry to protect local industry to grow jobs. Also, if you look at black industrialist programmes, they're located there.
“If you look at BEE, it's located there. You can't give that to the DA, they have said publicly they don't believe in BEE. It would be too toxic to entertain that. I'm not saying you can't share the economic cluster, but the sensitive [portfolios] such as Treasury, labour, and trade and industry will have to be retained by the ANC,” Parks said.
Parks said Cosatu wants to see a stable, coherent GNU which would be true to principles including respect for the constitution, workers' rights, anticorruption and transformation.
He said Cosatu will be keenly interested in key economic portfolios including employment, labour and the public service during discussions with Ramaphosa.
“Employment and labour are very important because that is where the labour laws are drafted, protected and reinforced. Public service is also important to us because we have many workers in public service.
“Those are the critical things, but if you look beyond that, we do have an interest in the National Treasury, we do have an interest in service delivery portfolios too. In terms of the actual composition, we are still engaging with the president,” he said.
Parks said Cosatu agreed with the need for continuity in some portfolios, adding that there was progress by the government in addressing key challenges affecting the economy, including load-shedding, rebuilding Transnet and positive momentum with regard to rebuilding the SA Revenue Service.
“There is a strong argument to be made in many portfolios for continuity, but you wouldn't have it in all because many ministers didn't make it back [to parliament],” Parks said.
TimesLIVE
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