ANC confirms Lesufi will announce Gauteng cabinet today
Following bickering over MEC positions, the ANC says Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi will announce the MECs today.
The African National Congress (ANC) says the task of setting up government in Gauteng is long overdue and it would be irresponsible to continue with the impasse between itself and the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the province.
This comes as negotiations between the two parties were deadlocked over positions in the province’s executive council. As a result, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi had to postpone his announcement of members of the executive council on Monday. Lesufi postponed the announcement for the second time.
LATEST ON ANC NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE DA IN GAUTENG
As per the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) no political party achieved an outright majority in the 2024 National and Provincial Elections, support for the ANC in Gauteng declined from 50% in 2019 to just 36%.
On Monday, ANC leadership in Gauteng accused the DA of negotiating in bad faith and acting like a spoilt brat.
During a media briefing on Wednesday, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula highlighted that the ANC is in agreement with other political parties in the province except the DA. He emphasised that they have engaged further with the DA and that Lesufi will announce the MECs on Wednesday, 3 July.
HOW MANY SEATS DO PARTIES HAVE IN THE GAUTENG PROVINCIAL LEGISLATURE?
- ANC – 28
- DA – 22
- EFF – 11
- MK PARTY – 8
- ACTIONSA – 3
- PA – 2
- VF PLUS – 2
- ACDP – 1
- BOSA – 1
- IFP – 1
- RISE MZANSI – 1
DA STILL WILLING TO NEGOTIATE
On Tuesday, the DA said its door remains open for further negotiation when the ANC is genuinely committed to treating them as a party of the same size as them.
The two parties have almost the same number of seats (28 for ANC; 22 for DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature.
DA Gauteng leader Solly Msimanga and Federal chairperson Helen Zille held a media briefing on Tuesday to provide an update on the negotiations.
The DA revealed that the ANC has been prepared to offer it a maximum of three out of ten Cabinet seats without telling them how many seats they intend to take for themselves and how many they propose to offer to other parties.
The party said this approach was not conducive to building an atmosphere of trust and wanted clarity on these issues.
During the briefing, Zille revealed that the ANC conceded that they had intended to allocate three seats to the DA and seven to themselves out of a cabinet of 11 (including the ANC Premier).
Zille said this division needs to meet the requirements set out in Clause 16 of the Declaration of Intent, given that the DA comprises 45% and the ANC 55% of the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU). It also excluded the IFP, which has been part of the national agreement from the start.