Ramaphosa announces new government
South Africa’s president late on Sunday announced the formation of a new cabinet over a month after elections.
Among the 32 ministerial posts, 20 where allotted to the ANC, Another six will be filled by the Democratic Alliance (DA) party, with the remainder split among a crowd of smaller coalition parties.
Ramasopha was forced into the unprecedented power-sharing arrangement with DA and others after his party, a dominant force in South African politics since the end of the apartheid era, lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994 in elections on May 29.
In the new cabinet, ANC gets too keep key ministries like defence, finance and foreign affairs.
While DA portfolios include home affairs and public works, with the party leader John Steenhuisen incharge of agriculture ministry.
One deputy ministerial post was given to the Muslim Al Jama-ah party, due to their continuous support of Palestinians over Israel, despite opposition from the DA.
Former Justice Minister Ronald Lamola was appointed as foreign minister.
Lamola was the lawyer who lead South Africa opening arguments for the genocide case brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
He takes over from Naledi Pandor, whom was not re-elected to parliament.
Whether the current loose coalition of former enemies can improve on the ANC’s record may depend on the extent to which they can put aside their ideological differences.
The DA wants to scrap some of the ANC’s black empowerment programmes, saying that they have mostly made a politically connected business elite fabulously wealthy, and scrap the minimum wage.
It also opposes the ANC’s desire to expropriate land – most of which is in white hands as a legacy of conquest by colonists and subsequent entrenched white minority rule – without compensation and give it to black farmers.
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