Gauteng cabinet announcement postponed as DA, ANC bicker over positions

An event to announce Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi’s 10-member provincial cabinet was derailed at the 11th hour on Monday as the ANC and DA bickered over positions.

This is the second time the announcement had to be postponed. Last week, a planned event by Lesufi to announce his executive was abruptly cancelled, with the premier saying negotiators had requested more time. 

The delays in announcing the Gauteng provincial government of unity (GPU) mirror weeks of uncertainty that threatened to derail the government of national unity as the DA and ANC slugged it out over ministerial positions. 

The ANC in Gauteng had to invite political parties to join the GPU after its electoral support plummeted to 36.4% during the recent general election, down from the 50.1% and 53.5% it mustered in the 2019 and 2014 elections, respectively. 

In the 80-seat Gauteng provincial legislature, the ANC holds 28 seats, followed by the DA with 22, EFF 11, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) eight, ActionSA three, Freedom Front Plus two, Patriotic Alliance (PA) two, and one seat each for the IFP, Rise Mzansi, Build One SA and African Christian Democratic Party. 

At national level, the DA put its foot down and threatened to walk away from the GNU if the EFF, MK and PA were included. While the EFF and MK were left out from the GNU, PA president Gayton McKenzie was appointed as minister of sport, arts & culture on Sunday. 

ANC Gauteng secretary Thembinkosi Nciza told a media briefing on Monday the ANC in Gauteng would not be “bullied by the DA” and called on the blue party to accept that “other parties will be part of the GPU”. 

ANC provincial executive committee member Lebogang Maile said: “The DA wants to impose which political parties [the ANC must] work with. We have concluded [agreements] with other parties, it’s only the DA that’s behaving like a spoilt brat.” 

Nciza stressed the ANC was not forming a grand coalition with the DA, which received 26.6% of voter share in the May 29 polls. He said the parties had deadlocked because “we don’t believe what they [DA] are raising is reasonable”. 

“The GPU is a concept of the ANC, we are leading it, we invite other parties to come. Once a party comes and says don’t bring this one [party] or that one, we are not going to agree to that,” Nciza said, adding the new executive would be announced on Tuesday. 

“This is the economic hub of the country, it will be contested. Gauteng is like a country, that’s why it’s highly contested. We believe we are very fair, but we are not going to allow anyone to bully us.” 

DA provincial leader Solly Msimanga lashed out at the ANC leaders for “contradicting themselves”, adding what they were saying was “complete rubbish”. 

“We met with the ANC a number of times, including today [Monday]. They wanted to offer the DA one MEC position, a party that brings 27% of votes. They then moved from one MEC position to two. We said we can’t work like that, we won’t accept that,” said Msimanga. 

“They asked us what are we proposing, we said give us four MEC positions, take the six and give one or two to smaller parties” but the ANC refused. 

“We will engage with their national counterparts,” Msimanga said. 

The impasse comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his cabinet on Sunday, in which he gave the DA six ministerial positions and six deputy minister posts, in addition its MP Annelie Lotriet being elected deputy speaker of parliament recently.   

mkentanel@businesslive.co.za