Minority Gauteng cabinet announced – with DA in the opposition benches

 ·3 Jul 2024

Nearly three weeks after being sworn in, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has announced his provincial cabinet, which comprises the African National Congress (ANC), Patriotic Alliance (PA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), and Rise Mzansi.

The new Members of the Executive Council (MECs) were sworn in after the announcement on 3 July.

Negotiations between the ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA), who are working together in both the national executive and KwaZulu-Natal, collapsed the day of the announcement.

Lesufi previously attempted to announce the cabinet on several other occasions, but negotiation deadlocks postponed them.

The Premier said that the province could not afford to delay the announcement any further.

The 10 MECs announced by the Premier comprises:

NameDepartmentParty
Bonginkosi DlaminieGovernmentIFP
Lebogang MaileFinance & Economic DevelopmentANC
Matome ChialoneEducation & SportsANC
Vuyiswa RamokgopaAgriculture & Rural DevelopmentRise Mzansi
Nomantu Nkomo-RalehokoHealthANC
Jacob MamaboloInfrastructure & Cooperative Governance and Traditional AffairsANC
Kedibone TlhabelaRoads & TransportANC
Tasneem MotaraHuman SettlementsANC
Faith MazibukoSocial DevelopmentANC
Sheila Mary PetersEnvironmentPA

Lesufi moved the powers of community safety to his office, thus not appointing an MEC in this regard, saying that it is the province’s top priority.

The MEC party distributions in the economic powerhouse are:

  • ANC (7)
  • IFP (1)
  • Rise Mzansi (1)
  • PA (1)

Together, these parties in the provincial cabinet hold 32 out of the 80 seats in the legislature, with the ANC holding 28 seats, the PA two, IFP one, and Rise Mzansi one.

However, Lesufi would have preferred a cabinet with an outright majority, as a ‘minority government’ often proves turbulent.

The ANC in Gauteng said that it met with every political party in the Gauteng legislature with the desire of them to agree to form part of the “Government of Provincial Unity (GPU).”

“We accept without any conditions the outcome of the elections, which has instructed us to work together in a provincial government of unity,” says Lesufi.

Lesufi said that signatories of the statement of intent were taken into consideration when constituting the cabinet.

However, this proved easier said than done.

The ANC and DA are signatories of the statement of intent and are in co-governing agreements at a national level and in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, where the ANC also lost its majority.

With the DA the second largest party represented in legislature (22/80 seats) and governing with the party elsewhere, it was expected that these two parties were going to co-govern in the country’s economic hub.

The DA initially supported Lesufi and ANC’s Morakane Mosupyoe for Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature in the same sitting, while the DA’s Refiloe Nt’sekhe was elected as Deputy Speaker in return.

However, the DA in Gauteng said that is ready to take up the opposition benches in the province after negotiations collapsed.

DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga said in a statement shortly before the cabinet announcement that “after robust engagements, and negotiations stretching over weeks, [the DA] declined to take up seats on the ANC’s terms, and will not form part of the Executive of the Gauteng GPU.”

This was over disagreements over the composition of cabinet, with Lesufi aiming to give the DA 3 posts, which the DA refused.

“We found ourselves unable to accept a counter to our offer. The offer made to the DA was and continues to be one we find both unfair and unreasonable,” said Msimanga

“We are both comfortable and proud to enter back into the opposition benches from where we will serve the people of Gauteng,” he added.

The Premier said at the announcement of the executive that the door is still open for parties who wanted to still join the GPU.


Read: Who controls what: How government has been split among the ANC, DA and other parties

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