South Africa: National Unity Government negotiations stall over cabinet positions

South Africa’s vaunted Government of National Unity is at an impasse as the two parties with the most votes are unable to agree on cabinet nominations. The cabinet was expected to be named this week, but a series of “leaked letters” between the leaders of the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) show that the dispute over leadership positions continues.

Ramaphosa accused the DA of jeopardizing the foundations of the Government of National Unity, while the DA was reportedly considering withdrawing from the process if its demands were not met. However, one of the opposition party GNU’s former official negotiators, DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube, said the party was still committed to remaining.

The latest sticking point is that the DA wants more than the six Cabinet positions that Ramaphosa has proposed, and the same number of deputy ministers.

GNU negotiations have been going on for almost a month, but they continue to hold up the legislative and executive work of the newly elected government, in particular the election of the vice-president of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).

The NCOP elections are scheduled for next week, on Thursday 4th July.