ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has rejected the DA’s proposal of a 5-4-1 Gauteng provincial cabinet between the ANC, DA and IFP, stating boldly that Premier Panyaza Lesufi would announce his executive on Wednesday night, with or without the Democratic Alliance.
Mbalula said the ANC in Gauteng cannot agree to the DA's proposals for the formation of the Gauteng government, saying the DA leadership led by Federal Council chairperson Helen Zille had misinterpreted the Statement of Intent of the Government of National Unity.
Talks between the DA and the ANC in Gauteng deadlocked on Tuesday as the DA wants the ANC to take five MEC positions for the ANC, four for the DA and one position for the IFP.
Mbalula said the DA’s own initial demand was for three MEC positions, deputy speaker and chair of chairs in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, which the ANC accepted.
On Tuesday, the two parties met with intentions of forming a government of provincial unity but they failed to come to terms with each other.
“Regrettably, and notwithstanding an initial agreement regarding the formation of the Provincial Executive Council, this process has not proceeded with the same alacrity,” Mbalula said.
Mbalula maintained that the DA failed to understand the statement, adding that this also undermined an agreed upon principle in the national negotiations that the provinces be allowed to proceed with their negotiations.
“We are unable to accede to the DA's latest proposals,” said Mbalula.
Mbalula highlighted that the DA was not the only party that they were engaging in talks with to set up the government in Gauteng.
According to Mbalula, the province they would continue with the announcement of their cabinet without the DA’s input.
“We wrote a letter to the DA this morning to ask that we return to the negotiation table and not declare a deadlock,” he said.
The ANC said Lesufi would announce his Cabinet on Wednesday night and that Mbalula had written to Zille imploring the DA to return to the negotiation table.
Mbalula also said the EFF and the MK Party did not want to be part of the GNU, so they would not be working with them.
According to Zille, who addressed the media from Rosebank on Tuesday, the wants a power sharing agreement between the ANC and the DA because they attained similar results in Gauteng. The ANC has 28 seats (34% of the vote in Gauteng0, while the DA has 22 seats (or 27% of the vote).
Zille said they would not tolerate the ANC's attitude and approach in the negotiations. The DA claims that the ANC is deliberately choosing to ignore the framework in the GNU's statement of intent.
Zille’s interpretation of clause 16 says the government must reflect the inclusiveness of all political parties in the GNU by allocating positions based on the outcomes of the recent elections.
The ANC and DA signed an agreement to form the GNU when MPs were being sworn in just before votes for the president could be considered. this happened at the first sitting of the National Assembly at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last month.
On the national front, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed six DA members to his Cabinet.
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