Election ’24 Goals Achieved; Now the Hard Work Begins

John Steenhuisen, leader of the Democratic Alliance, celebrated the achievement of his twin goals for the ’24 elections. Having secured their entry into the national government, including key cabinet positions and deputy ministers, Steenhuisen stressed that now the real governance challenge begins. He called for concerted efforts to solve South Africa’s pressing problems and fulfill election promises.

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Leader of the Democratic Alliance John Steenhuisen

Just two weeks ago I announced that the Democratic Alliance had negotiated an agreement to join the federal government.

As part of this agreement, we helped elect Mr Cyril Ramaphosa as President, Ms Thoko Didiza as Speaker of the National Assembly and Dr Annelie Lotriet from the DA as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

In the days following the first session of Parliament, a series of intensive negotiations took place on the creation of a new national executive.

These negotiations were conducted on the basis of the signed Statement of Intent regarding the Government of National Unity, which obliged the president to appoint a new cabinet after consultations with the leaders of other signatory parties.

Last night, President Ramaphosa announced the composition of the new national government, after he and I reached an agreement (which was subsequently ratified by the federal DA executive) on the configuration of the DA’s share of the executive.

The formation of the Cabinet and the agreement between the two largest parties in the Government of National Unity paves the way for us to begin delivering services to the people of South Africa.

As announced by the President, the DA took over the following ministries in the cabinet: Agriculture, Basic Education, Public Works and Infrastructure, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Internal Affairs, as well as Communication and Digital Technologies.

DA also assumed deputy ministerial positions in the areas of finance, trade, industry and competition, higher education, energy and electricity, water and sanitation, and small business development.

We managed to negotiate a configuration that ensures that, apart from the ANC, DA is the only party represented in all government groups.

This means that for the first time in history, the voices of DA voters will be heard in every sector and in every room where decisions about the future of our country are made.

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In the economic cluster, the DA will leverage our influential positions in Cabinet on Agriculture, Public Works and Infrastructure, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, as well as our positions as Deputy Minister for Finance, Trade and Industry and Small Business Development, to deliver rapid economic growth and job creation.

In terms of governance, DA will build on our experience in improving service delivery to reform and strengthen a key area of ​​activity for the Home Office.

We will use our representation as Minister of Primary Education, as well as our Deputy Minister of Higher Education, to focus like a laser beam on improving the quality of education our children and students receive.

Through our representation in the Department of Communications, alongside deputy positions in the Department of Water and Sewerage and the Department of Power and Electricity, DA can contribute to improving the quality of these vital services.

The sheer importance and diversity of these twelve portfolios demonstrate the recognition that the DA is playing a significant and important role in rebuilding our country.

The DA was never in it for its own good, which is why we didn’t accept watered-down compromises and why we sometimes bargained hard to make sure the portfolio we received was truly substantive.

We are also pleased that the negotiations have confirmed an agreed mechanism for breaking deadlocks on political issues, that any suspicious tenders announced in departments currently under the DA will be promptly investigated, and that appointments to senior civil service positions will not be blocked or politicized.

Throughout the process, DA pursued a clear strategic objective based on two interrelated goals.

Our dual goal was to secure significant influence over the government while fulfilling our election promise to save South Africa from parties that would destroy our country’s constitution.

When the DA said we would save South Africa from the apocalypse, we meant it.

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And with yesterday’s formation of a new cabinet, DA voters can be confident that we have kept our word and delivered on both elements of our strategic goal.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to the district attorney’s team of expert negotiators who have made their country proud with their work.

With his cabinet in place, the DA is ready to get to work on what matters most: serving the citizens of South Africa.

Our commitment is to meticulously rebuild the government institutions currently under our care, with the aim of translating our proven track record of good governance and delivery of high-quality services in municipal and provincial governments into national government.

We will do this because the main mission of the Government of National Unity is to serve, uplift and provide dignity to all the people of our country.

I have already told DA members in Cabinet and their deputies that they have a huge responsibility.

The transformation of DA into the party of national government that we have just begun is the fruit of decades of hard work by the brave men and women who came before us.

Most importantly, the responsibility these individuals bear reflects the will of the people who voted DA in 2024 to save South Africa.

This is the mission that people have entrusted to us and which we must pursue to the best of our ability.

The Government of National Unity was not created by politicians or political parties.

It was South Africans who created it when they voted to strip the ANC of most of its seats, while cementing the DA’s position as the country’s second-largest party.

Read more: ANC withdraws key ministerial offer to DA, halting cabinet talks

But now it is up to all of us – including the voters who formed this multi-party government – to ensure that it keeps its promises.

Throughout the election campaign, and in the negotiations that followed, I made it clear that the DA was guided by the commitments made in our election manifesto.

These include the urgent need to grow the economy and create jobs, end the energy crisis, fight corruption and maladministration, and improve the quality of services such as education.

Now that the DA takes our rightful place at the Cabinet negotiating table, the same priorities will continue to guide our work.

But let’s not delude ourselves that any of this will be easy.

And we cannot get carried away by the importance of the moment.

The truth is that the road ahead will be difficult.

South Africa has the highest unemployment rate in the world, one of the highest crime rates in the world, logistics and infrastructure are in deep decline, and corruption is endemic.

None of us should expect these problems to be solved overnight.

None of us should expect these deep-rooted problems to be solved by politicians alone.

That is why today I am making a loud appeal to the people of South Africa.

We need your help to get our country moving in the right direction again.

While the historic events of the past month have presented political leaders who respect the Constitution with a new challenge to take action on an unprecedented scale, this challenge must also be taken up by the rest of society.

It is time for each of us to answer South Africa’s call.

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Whether you are an entrepreneur, civil society activist, trade union leader, neighborhood watch member, or simply a citizen with skills or time to contribute to society, now is the time to reach out to your elected representatives to help us build our country.

Where the district attorney is in government, you will be welcomed with an open door and an open hand.

Because we know that the time for confrontation is over.

The time has come to cooperate.

But this cooperation does not only concern political leaders.

Cooperation between the Government of National Unity and the people who voted for its creation is now necessary.

As we all embark on this new journey into uncharted territory, it is worth reflecting on the key lesson we have all learned over the past month.

If you want to go fast, go alone.

But if you want to go far, go together.

And this is how it must be if we want to save our beautiful country.

We all need to come together now for South Africa to go far.

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