South Africa: President Ramaphosa Announces Coalition Cabinet

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has formed a diverse Cabinet comprising seven political parties, marking a historic power-sharing agreement in the continent’s most industrialized nation.

This unprecedented coalition comes after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority in parliament in the landmark May elections, where no party secured an outright majority. The inclusion of multiple parties in the Cabinet reflects a substantial shift in South Africa’s political landscape, as the country navigates a new era of coalition politics.

The newly formed multiparty Cabinet is the result of a month-long series of intense and often contentious talks between the African National Congress (ANC), led by President Ramaphosa, and the Democratic Alliance (DA), the former main opposition party, which has now agreed to join forces with the ANC in a historic power-sharing agreement.

President Ramaphosa’s unveiling of the new multiparty Cabinet on Sunday marked a historic turning point in South Africa’s political history, as the country ventures into uncharted territory after three decades of African National Congress (ANC) dominance. The ANC, which led the country to freedom from apartheid in 1994 and had held power ever since, will now share governance with other parties.

Ramaphosa retained Paul Mashatile from the ANC as his deputy president, and also maintained ANC leadership in crucial ministries, including finance, trade and industry, foreign affairs, defense, and justice. Following the election, where the ANC secured 40% of the vote, the party holds 20 out of 32 Cabinet positions, reflecting their substantial presence in the government.

He also gave six ministerial positions to the DA with the party leader, John Steenhuisen appointed as Minister of Agriculture. Although the DA had advocated for the Trade and industry portfolio, they were instead given the Deputy minister position.

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The ANC-DA coalition must navigate broader racial tensions, as the ANC is historically associated with liberating South Africa from apartheid, while the DA is perceived by some to prioritize the interests of the country’s white minority, which comprises only 7% of the total population of 62 million, potentially creating challenges in representing the diverse needs of the nation.

President Ramaphosa included the leader of the Freedom Front Plus party in his Cabinet, a party with historical ties to right-wing groups advocating for white interests. The party has moderated its stance over time, and its inclusion in the government will be a crucial test of South Africa’s ability to move beyond racial divisions and work together in its most diverse political coalition to date.

The Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), anti-immigration party Patriotic Alliance also share six cabinet positions.

The third and fourth largest parties in the country have refused to be part of the coalition simply because of the inclusion of the white-led Democratic Alliance party and Freedom Front Plus party.