President Cyril Ramaphosa’s “bloated” cabinet of the government of national unity (GNU) has received mixed reactions from labour federations and opposition political parties, who cast it as nothing but a DA-ANC grand coalition.
The announcement by Ramaphosa on Sunday followed weeks of uncertainty that threatened to derail the GNU as SA’s two-largest political parties slugged it out over ministerial posts.
The cabinet consists of 32 ministers and 41 deputy ministers, with the DA bagging six ministerial positions and six deputy minister positions, on top of its MP Annelie Lotriet being elected deputy speaker of parliament recently.
In announcing his cabinet, Ramaphosa said: “These men and women we have appointed to the executive are drawn from all corners of our country. They reflect the diversity of our nation. They have a responsibility to work together to serve the people as a whole. None of the members of the national executive has been appointed to serve the interests of a particular constituency, a particular party or a particular section of society. Collectively and individually, they are responsible to the people of SA.”
In a statement, EFF national spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys said: “These positions mean that racists are poised to implement regressive and neoliberal policies that will entrench market-fundamentalism and profit maximisation by the corporate and financial sector, at the expense of the poor black majority.
“At a policy level, it is inexcusable to give racists control and influence in sectors such as agriculture, trade, finance, education, energy and infrastructural development, when they have exhibited that where they govern, they prioritise the interests of the white minority.”
However, DA leader John Steenhuisen said on Monday the cabinet appointments and agreement between the blue party and the ANC “paves way for us to now start delivering for the people of SA”.
Steenhuisen said the DA would use the ministerial portfolios allocated to it to pursue “rapid growth and job creation”.
Cosatu spokesperson Zanele Sabela said the labour federation — a key ally of the ANC — expected the GNU to hit the ground running and get on with the business of unlocking the economy, creating decent permanent jobs and reducing poverty and inequality. It said it also wanted to ensure “inclusive growth beyond the paltry 1% the country has endured in recent years”.
“The GNU must be guided by the constitution and the rule of law, and be biased towards the needs of working-class communities. As the leading party nationally and provincially, we expect the policy mandate of the GNU to be anchored upon the ANC manifesto, as we cannot afford a free-for-all where each of the GNU’s 10 parties’ manifestos vie for space,” Sabela said.
“Cosatu will also keep a close eye on portfolios allocated to parties other than the ANC to ensure they deliver and do not stray from the GNU’s mandate. We will place the DA under stringent scrutiny to ensure it abandons its history of opposing workers’ hard-won rights and transformation.”
Federation of Unions of SA president Godfrey Selematsela said that, while the labour federation was not necessarily happy with the expansion of cabinet, it was hopeful the cabinet mix would be able to deliver on their mandates.
“We are happy with GNU, we believe it will address the socioeconomic crises in the country and that it will mitigate towards creating jobs. We believe the merging of other departments was a good thing, but we are not happy with two deputy ministers in some portfolios. It’s difficult to understand what role deputy ministers play,” Selematsela said.
National Council of Trade Unions general secretary Narius Moloto said the council was satisfied that at least a cabinet had been formed, “but we are still unable to make sense of the direction this government will take”.
By and large, Ramaphosa has assembled a team on merit. It’s not a platform to dish out favours only to his henchmen
— Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast, political analyst
North West Business School economist Prof Raymond Parsons said the GNU cabinet was good for business and investor confidence, and the markets were likely to respond positively.
Parsons called on the GNU to expedite the implementation of necessary economic reform, “as the overall election message was a clear instruction to deliver”.
“The first step for the GNU in delivering change would be to establish a sense of urgency. In the past, procrastination was one of the major enemies of delivery.”
Nelson Mandela University political analyst Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast said the GNU cabinet had both weak and strong points, and pointed out that policy contradictions could crop up.
“By and large, Ramaphosa has assembled a team on merit. It’s not a platform to dish out favours only to his henchmen. But the weakness of this political arrangement is that it is the brainchild of market forces,” Breakfast said.
“The captains of industry were [already] pronouncing [on how the cabinet should be instituted] even before the ANC announced this arrangement. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
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