South Africa: Ramaphosa cedes 21 ministerial seats to opposition

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced he had ceded 12 out of 32 ministerial positions to the opposition parties in his coalition.

The largest opposition the Democractic Alliance (DA) won six ministries including education, public works and environment, while six other posts went to smaller parties.

The African National Congress (ANC) will retain 20 ministries including key portfolios such as finance, foreign affairs, energy and defence.

Ramaphosa announced opposition leader John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance (DA) as the Minister of Agriculture.

“The minister of agriculture is John Steenhuisen,” Ramaphosa said from Pretoria in a televised address to the nation.

Ramaphosa, 71, re-elected for a second full term, called a government of national unity after ANC lost its outright majority in the May election.

He has had to balance demands for key ministerial positions from within his own party and its new allies.

During tense negotiations, leaked documents of disagreements on positions between Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen circulated on social media.

The ANC, who has governed South Africa since the advent of democracy in 1994, accused the DA of making “outrageous demands” for more than 10 cabinet positions — some of which are key portfolios.

The DA won 87 parliamentary seats compared to the ANC’s 159.

On Saturday, leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) made an eleventh hour counter proposal to the government of national unity, pitching an exclusive coalition with the ANC and other leftist parties.