The DA is asking for 12 ministerial positions, including those that Gwede Mantashe and Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, two of the ANC’s top officials, held in the sixth administration.
The former official opposition party wants to control the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
This comes as part of the ongoing battle for cabinet positions under the government of national unity.
If the DA were to control these departments, it would also require a review of all contracts awarded as of the announcement of the election date.
Helen Zille, the chairperson of the DA federal council, stated this in a letter of negotiation to Fikile Mbalula, the secretary-general of the ANC.
The behind-the-scenes horse-trading is taking place as President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce a new cabinet this week.
Willing to negotiate
She also highlighted that the party, being the second largest in the GNU, should hold the deputy president position but was willing to negotiate.
“We can only agree to give up that post if it is replaced with both a minister in the presidency, who is also designated as the leader of government business and participates fully in the policy development and monitoring responsibilities of the Presidency, and a deputy minister of finance, who participates in the full development of the budget,” said Zille in the letter.
She said the DA should also be represented in all cabinet clusters, and where it holds the minister position, the deputy minister should also be a DA representative, excluding the finance ministry, where it hopes to hold a deputy minister position.
The president would also need to approve the choice of a DA-led panel to appoint the director-generals (DG) in the departments that it is in charge of.
“The contracts of all current DGs would also need to be reconsidered in light of our concern that incumbents may not be amenable to direction from Democratic Alliance ministers, especially given the ANC’s cadre deployment policy,” said Zille.
SA faces a unique opportunity
She said the ANC should also agree with the DA that all parties in the GNU should have representatives form part of a technical team that would filter out differences over policy and government consensus.
According to Zille, the ANC and DA would be responsible for resolving matters where parties could not clear out their differences.
“We would like to reiterate once again that we remain fully committed to participating in governments in which we would be able to effect positive change for the people of South Africa.
“Our country faces a unique opportunity now to implement programmes that would boost job creation, alleviate poverty, provide security, education, healthcare, and social support our people so desperately need,” said Zille.
Here are the cabinet positions the DA is gunning for:
Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development
• The ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy; ministry of Transport (with Transnet reallocated to this portfolio); and ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition;
Social Protection, Community and Human Development
• Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure (provided the infrastructure function now sitting in the Presidency is relocated to this portfolio); and
• Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation;
Governance, State Capacity and Institutional Development
• Ministry of Public Service and Administration; and
• Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs;
Justice, Crime Prevention and Security
• Ministry of Justice; and
• Ministry of Home Affairs;
International Cooperation, Trade and Security
• Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation; and
• Ministry of Communication and Digital Technologies.
