ANC UPDATE ON THE FORMATION OF THE GAUTENG GOVERNMENT OF PROVINCIAL UNITY
3 July 2024
The African National Congress (ANC) has been leading the process of negotiating the formation of government nationally and in three other provinces following the indeterminate outcomes of the 29 May 2024 National and Provincial elections. This process has culminated in the formation of a historic Government of National Unity executive negotiated by 11 other parties, all of whom signed the Statement of Intent.
The approach of the ANC has been to separate the negotiations of the national formation of national government from the negotiations of the various provincial governments. This was to allow provinces to negotiate with their counterparts in the context of the particular dynamics of their respective provinces.
It was agreed upon by all parties that the discussions will not be lumped together to the extent that the agreement nationally would not automatically cascade to an agreement in the provinces.
The negotiations in the various provinces began in earnest around the same time as the negotiations began nationally. An agreement was reached in the Northern Cape and in KwaZulu Natal provinces. Both provinces have elected their provincial legislature presiding officers, and their premiers, and have announced their provincial cabinets.
The formation of the Gauteng Government of Provincial Unity has not been without its challenges. The process followed in Gauteng was determined by the provincial leadership of the ANC, since the ANC is the largest party in that provincial legislature.
The ANC invited political parties with representation in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to negotiate and establish a Government of Provincial Unity. The negotiations in Gauteng have been protracted and have not produced an outcome as yet due to a number of factors. It is important to note that some progress has already been made. The election of the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and the Premier of Gauteng on the 14th of June, are an outcome of the negotiated agreement between these provincial layers of leadership.
What is now in dispute are the modalities of constituting the provincial cabinet.
As part of this intervention process, it was agreed that the Secretary General of the ANC, Comrade Fikile Mbalula, would lead an effort to reach out to the Democratic Alliance national leadership to discuss an approach to resolving the impasse which arose because the provincial leaderships of both the DA and the ANC could not reach an agreement on how to constitute government and the provincial legislature on their own.
The ANC confirms that we had an extensive engagement yesterday with the DA which was conducted in a frank and open spirit aimed at giving effect to the democratic mandate of the people following the 2024 National and Provincial Elections. We have acknowledged the constructive manner in which our respective structures in Gauteng have engaged and in which this engagement contributed to the election, by the Gauteng Legislature, of a Premier, Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Regrettably, and notwithstanding an initial agreement regarding the formation of the Provincial Executive Council, this process has not proceeded with the same alacrity.
In terms of this agreement, a member of the DA would be elected as Deputy Speaker and the Premier would appoint three DA members as MECs, and additionally, six DA members would be supported as Chairpersons of Committees in the legislature.
In our discussions yesterday, the proposal from the ANC was to honour this original agreement. This proposal was rejected by the DA with their insistence on their insistence on proportionality of 5:4:1.
The ANC reiterates its position that such a proposition is both a misinterpretation of the Statement of Intent and also undermines an agreed to principle in the national negotiations that the Provinces be allowed to proceed with their own negotiations, which process had initially yielded a result in the Province.
The changes proposed by the DA are not in good faith as they seek to change the agreements that were reached at a Provincial level.
Furthermore, notwithstanding the fact that at the point of deadlock, the ANC delegation indicated it had to consult with its principals, the DA nonetheless proceeded to issue a public statement indicating that the negotiations have deadlocked.
This is indeed regrettable. We are unable to accede to the DA's latest proposals. As we have indicated throughout the negotiations, the DA is not the only party we are negotiating with on the setting up of the Gauteng Government of Provincial Unity.
To demonstrate our commitment to a speedy resolution of the impasse, and our good faith in these discussions, we wrote a letter to the DA this morning to ask that we return to the negotiation table and not declare a deadlock.
The ANC reiterates our firmly held conviction that the task of setting up government in the economic heartland of our country is both urgent and overdue. It would be irresponsible to continue with this impasse.
The Premier of Gauteng, Comrade Panyaza Lesufi, intends to conclude all negotiations and consultations and to announce the appointment of Members of the Executive Council today, Wednesday, 3 July 2024. The DA were advised that if they are to be part of the GPU, the deadline was 14h00 today, Wednesday, 3 July 2024. There has been further engagement since then.
It is our heartfelt wish that all parties, including the Democratic Alliance, will form part of a Government of Provincial Unity to serve the people of Gauteng, and South Africa.
The ANC will continue to exercise its leadership role by engaging with every party, including those who are not part of the GPU, in the interests of transformation, redress, national unity, peace and stability.
The formation of the Gauteng Provincial Executive Council that will serve and lead the 7th democratic provincial administration will be an important step forward, and a testament to the resilience of our democracy.
We assure South Africans that the soon to be appointed Gauteng Government of Provincial Unity will be expected to immediately get to down to work on the pressing issues facing the Gauteng province and our people.
Let's do more, together.
Statement issued by ANC, 3 July 2024
