Writing in his weekly letter to the nation today, the President says the commitment by political parties to work together has generated a great deal of goodwill that should not be squandered.
He says the success of the GNU will be measured by the extent to which parties are prepared to focus- not on who will govern- but on how the country will be governed in the interests of the people.
The President says he is encouraged by the fact that there is broad consensus among the parties on the priorities of the incoming administration.
He says this gives hope that the GNU will indeed take the country forward.
Ramaphosa says emanating from the priorities outlined in the Statement of Intent, the parties will further refine the GNU’s programme.
He adds they need to demonstrate they have a clear, coherent and sustainable programme and their collaboration is genuine.
The country’s hopes are pinned on the success of the GNU. Our stated commitment to work together constructively and for South Africa’s benefit has generated a great deal of goodwill that we should not squander. https://t.co/jSbiZVaL4xpic.twitter.com/dqbGHlUjRA
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 24, 2024
Despite the country waiting on President Cyril Ramaphosa to announce his new cabinet, the government continues to run.
This all thanks to Director-Generals of departments. The political executive of the sixth administration ceased to exist on Wednesday, last week, when Ramaphosa took his oath of office at his inauguration in Pretoria.
SABC News looks at the different arrangements in place to ensure a seamless transition of the business of government.
In terms of the Constitution, following the dissolution of Parliament, cabinet continues to function until the election of the next National Assembly, which elects a new President who then will appoints a new cabinet.
Currently South Africa has been without a cabinet since Wednesday when President Ramaphosa took his oath of office.
Professor Mashupye Maserumule of the Tshwane University of Technology explains.
“The Constitution says that the National Executive Authority of the republic is vested in the President, however, the President exercises that authority in consultation with ministers who must make the cabinet but as we speak now, we don’t have ministers. It will therefore mean that the President is hampered in many ways in exercising the National Executive authority. When we talk about the National Executive authority, we in simple terms talk about the obligation of government to drive the affairs of the state as it relates to the delivery of services.”
Despite having no cabinet, the administration of public services has not ceased as the Director-Generals continue to work during this transitional period.
“A default arrangement in terms of making sure that government continues to run is on the Director-Generals, although they are not really part of the political leadership. So, we have the President as we speak, we have the Director- Generals. By the way when you look at the powers that the Director-Generals wield in law are so enormous and are so important to an extent that in fact they are key in terms of making sure that the country continues their administrative powers. And the extent to which they can go are clearly defined in law, are defined in the Constitution and therefore should they go beyond the bounds of what they can do obviously. They will face consequences.”
Maserumule says while the current arrangement is not ideal, it is necessary given the moment South Africa finds itself in.
“Ministers ought to provide policy direction, Director Generals ought to translate the political policy direction as provided by the minister into strategic and implementable plans. So, there is a difference between the role that ministers play and the role Director-Generals play. However, you need to appreciate that the President is yet to announce his cabinet and one will understand that he talks about a government of national unity which will obviously include political parties that ordinarily would not be part of the scope of consultation for the purposes of constituting a cabinet.”
Before the ANC was only duty bound to consult with their tripartite partners namely, Cosatu and the SACP.
Maserumule says for now, the time spent in engagements ahead of a cabinet announcement has not been unreasonable, but it is desirable to get it done to restore government’s normal functionality.
The parties are the ANC, DA, PA, IFP, GOOD, FF Plus, UDM, Rise Mzansi, PAC and Al Jama-ah.
The ANC says the 10 parties secured over 70% of the vote in the 2024 elections thus ensuring broad representativity and a strong mandate to govern.
In a statement, the party says any further parties wishing to join the GNU will be subject to Clause 24 of the Statement of Intent, which states that there be discussion and agreement amongst the existing parties, whenever new parties want to be part of the GNU.
SABC News Politics Editor Mzwandile Mbeje shares more on this:
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says his party will support the election of the African National Congress (ANC)‘s Cyril Ramaphosa as the President of the country.
Steenhuisen also announced that the DA would be joining the Government of National Unity (GNU).
It is my privilege to report to you that, after two weeks of thorough negotiations that only concluded after today’s sitting of Parliament had already started, the DA has reached agreement on the statement of intent for the formation of a Government of National Unity. ?? pic.twitter.com/GoVFTJsPbG
The DA leader says Ramaphosa will thereafter appoint his new cabinet.
“The GNU’s presidential candidate will come from the largest party inside the grouping, being President Cyril Ramaphosa. Following his election today, President Ramaphosa will then exercise his prerogative to appoint his new cabinet from among the members of the GNU, in consultation with the leaders of its constituent parties,” adds Steenhuisen.
The African National Congress (ANC) Secretary General Fikile Mbalula says the party is optimistic that its choice of President will be elected today given the work it has done engaging with various political parties.
The first sitting of Parliament will see the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and President of the seventh administration elected.
Mbalula says their priority is to get the country working, “It’s now about whether the ANC gets elected or not, we need to get the country forward and on Friday is the beginning of the post-election period and we have subscribed to the notion that we can work together and working together we have subscribed to the notion that there are a lot of things we need to work on in this uncharted territory such as safeguard the interest or our constituency.”
VIDEO | ANC briefs the media on the latest developments:
Meanwhile, Secretary to Parliament Xolile George says all necessary voting infrastructure is in place to ensure a smooth election process during the first sitting of the National Assembly, later this morning.
George told journalists during a briefing in Cape Town that everything is in order to swear in members of the seventh democratic Parliament.
During this sitting, the Deputy Speaker, Speaker and President will be elected. In case more than one candidate is nominated for the respective positions, contestation will take place by means of a vote.
George says everything has been put in place to accommodate the secret ballot voting process.
“These elections are crucial for the proper constitution of the national assembly, as it ensures leadership structure is in place to guide the house functions and related duties of the day.”
VIDEO | Readiness for the first sittings of Parliament:
The uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party has confirmed that it has invited the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) for talks regarding a coalition in KwaZulu-Natal.
In a letter that the SABC has seen, the MK Party says it has identified similarities between the two parties. They include a commitment to restore the dignity of the Zulu Kingdom, fast-track the delivery of basic services, stop corruption and make the province South Africa’s economic hub.
The MK Party garnered the majority of votes in the 2024 elections in the province with 45.35%. The IFP trailed behind with 18.07% and the ANC followed with 16.99%.
The situation has fueled speculation as to which of the two parties the MK Party will choose to enter into a coalition with.
