SACP slams DA’s ‘unauthorised’ demands for Cabinet posts

25 Jun 2024

ANC alliance partner the SA Communist Party has hit out at the Democratic Alliance following a leaked letter revealing the DA’s Government of National Unity demands. The DA wanted its members to hold at least 12 ministerial posts.

The SACP argues that even though the ANC won only 40% support in the general elections, the DA has no authority to decide how President Cyril Ramaphosa should constitute his Cabinet.

They describe the DA’s demands as “untenable”, saying the party’s attitude is undermining the will of the people and jeopardising the country’s stability.

“The DA’s demands fly in the face of the Constitution and labour law. A party that has claimed to support ‘the separation of party and state’ is now vehemently demanding the exact opposite.

“It has pretended to have a problem with ‘cadre deployment’ and anti-constitutionalism, but it is now demanding that the President must accept new practices which would amount to an exclusive DA cadre deployment,” an SACP statement reads.

The SACP accuses the DA of seeking to upstage the ANC.

The initial agreement included the IFP along with the DA. Later, the PAC, Rise Mzansi, Good, Al Jama-ah, the PA, Freedom Front Plus and UDM decided to sign the GNU’s Statement of Intent.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Then there were 10 – parties in unity government hit double digits

In the early stages of negotiations, the DA raised concerns about adding members such as the Patriotic Alliance.

Read more in Daily Maverick: PA cries foul over Zille comments on GNU inclusion while FF+ waits in wings

Excluding the DA’s 87 MPs, the ANC and other parties in the pact now have a cool 200 seats in the 400-member National Assembly. This reduces the DA’s influence in the GNU.

The SACP statement reads: “The DA has positioned itself against the government of national unity, which the ANC seeks to form. This is obvious from the DA’s manoeuvres to secure a hostile takeover through a grand coalition with the ANC, also involving the IFP, in which the DA will wield veto power under the guise of ‘sufficient consensus’. This must not be allowed to see the light of day.”

ANC alliance partner Cosatu has also been critical of the party’s decision to work with the DA to form a government at the national level. The labour federation said it would have preferred the ANC to work with minority parties only. The SACP says the DA’s demands remind it of the party’s “persisting legacy of racism”.

‘Trickery’

“The DA’s trickery, hypocritical and untenable demands vindicate the SACP, which has on the record expressed strong opposition to a coalition with the DA. In doing so, the SACP made its preferred option of an ANC-led minority government with the features of a government of national unity clear,” the SACP statement reads.

The DA signed the Statement of Intent on 14 June, hours before Ramaphosa was elected President in the National Assembly.

There have since been ongoing talks around Ramphosa’s new Cabinet, with the pact’s Statement of Intent stipulating that the government should be constituted in a manner that broadly reflects the electoral outcome in terms of proportionality.

In a letter sent to the ANC by DA Federal Council chair Helen Zille, she requests that DA deputy ministers be appointed in all DA-run ministries. The party also requests that it be given the power to remove directors-general in DA-led ministries.

Read more in Daily Maverick: While ANC-DA Cabinet talks continue, leaked letters reveal parties at odds

The DA also wanted new DGs to be elected by the DA and submitted to Ramaphosa for approval. The party also wants its senior members to be appointed in key ministries such as trade and industry, justice, cooperative governance and international relations.

Latest reports indicate that after initially reaching a deadlock on appointments, discussions have taken a turn for the better and progress is being made between the ANC and DA.

The UDM, Al Jama-ah and Rise Mzansi have told Daily Maverick that the primary goal of forming the GNU is to ensure that there is no vacuum in government, adding that they were not preoccupied with positions.

Cosatu has complained about not being consulted during the process. Instead, it was “briefed” on the plan to form a government and the resulting Statement of Intent.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Cosatu not consulted about GNU

On Monday, Cosatu’s first deputy president, Michael Shingange, said: “In the instance of the GNU, the ANC has chosen to be clear about the independence of each one of us.”

Nonetheless, Cosatu has welcomed the GNU and the Statement of Intent, while remaining opposed to the DA and its policies, claiming the DA opposes labour reforms that seek to improve the lives of workers. DM

Categories:

Tags:

DM is much better if you are signed in...

South Africa

‘Trickery’