Helen Zille on DA Cabinet roles: 'We did not get our fair share'
'You can't blame the DA with six seats for a bloated cabinet,' says the Democratic Alliance’s Helen Zille.
President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Kampala, Uganda on 19 January 2024. Picture: @GovernmentZA/X
Clement Manythela unpacks who's who in President Cyril Ramaphosa's newly-formed Cabinet. He is joined by the DA's Federal Chairperson Helen Zille, ANC NEC Member Zuko Godlimpi and the EFF's Secretary General Marshall Dlamini.
Listen below.
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Having kept the country on tenterhooks while round-the-clock negotiations took place, President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally announced his Cabinet.
The ANC had to broker a deal with at least 10 other parties to remain in government after failing to garner sufficient support in the elections on 29 May to retain its outright majority.
On Sunday, a late-night address by Ramaphosa revealed which politicians from the newly-formed Government of National Unity (GNU) had been appointed to the various portfolios.
The cabinet sees parties such as the Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus), and Patriotic Alliance (PA) taking up key posts in the national executive.
The DA has been given six portfolios, including Agriculture for party leader John Steenhuisen and Home Affairs for Leon Schrieber.
"They are meaningful portfolios" - DA
"They're not Mickey Mouse portfolios and they can contribute very significantly to economic growth.."
- Helen Zille, Federal Chairperson - DA
In its previous opposition role, the DA had been critical of 'bloated' Presidential cabinets under the ANC.
How then does the party now feel to be a part of such a large Cabinet?
"You can't blame the DA with six seats for a bloated Cabinet... we have not taken even our fair share of that Cabinet."
- Helen Zille, Federal Chairperson - DA
Last week, a leaked letter from Zille to the ANC outlined the DA's Cabinet wishlist, which included some 12 ministerial positions, including either Deputy President or Minister in the Presidency.
The party has secured neither of those positions.
Zille says they did not know how big Ramaphosa's Cabinet would be.
"We were expecting it to reduce in size."
- Helen Zille, Federal Chairperson - DA
"All existing state policy remains intact" - ANC
Where to from here for the GNU? How will signatories cooperate and articulate policy?
"We proceed from the understanding that all existing state policy remains intact and all those are in the executive are obliged constitutionally to implement those laws.
- Zuko Godlimpi, Member of the National Executive - ANC
"That means, if a political party wants to pursue a different set of policies than the ones already implemented... or repeal an exisiting policy... that party will essentially have to go back to the GNU partners and canvas a 50% agreement."
- Zuko Godlimpi, Member of the National Executive - ANC
"They've formed a government that is anti-black, anti-worker" - EFF
Just hours before the Cabinet announcement, the EFF had called for the ANC to ditch the GNU and join an exclusive agreement with it instead.
The party have previously refused to join the GNU.
The red berets, who met with the ANC on Friday, said they were against going to bed with the DA and the Freedom Front Plus.
"We realise that everytime they [the ANC] go out there, they go and tell the nation that the EFF is making unreasonable demands."
- Marshall Dlamini, Secretary General - EFF
"We accept their decision that they chose to work with the DA... now they've formed a government that is anti-black, anti-worker."
- Marshall Dlamini, Secretary General - EFF
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Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.