Minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni. (Jairus Mmutle/GCIS)
The newly sworn-in cabinet drawn from the government of national unity (GNU) will convene for its first lekgotla on 11 and 12 July ahead of the opening of parliament the following week, minister in the presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said on Thursday.
The government’s priorities and programme of action outlined in the medium-term strategic framework will be determined by the manifestoes of the 11 parties in the unity government, Ntshavheni told a media briefing.
She said President Cyril Ramaphosa — whose government includes cabinet ministers and deputies from the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance (PA), Freedom Front Plus, GOOD Party, Al Jama-ah, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Pan Africanist Congress — would announce the framework at parliament’s 18 July opening.
“In particular, now that we are a GNU, what we all collectively agree as a programme of action is not a programme of action of the ANC, of the DA, of the UDM, of the PA or any other party to the GNU, but the programme of action of the government,” Ntshavheni said.
“We are collectively responsible for implementing that programme of action.”
She said the Forum of South Africa Directors-General would analyse the party manifestos and select items that were in line with the goals and targets of the country’s national development plan.
Ntshavheni said the government did not anticipate any deadlock between the parties because mechanisms to resolve them were in place.
Her media briefing came a day after Ramaphosa’s new executive, comprising 32 ministers and 43 deputy ministers from nine of the 11 parties in the unity government, were sworn in.
Ntshavheni said the new government’s policies would not be determined by a single party but that the “governing parties” would have to work collectively to form one “government policy” for South Africa.
In this new set-up, Ramaphosa will be responsible for implementing national legislation unless the Constitution or an act of parliament says otherwise; developing and implementing national policy; co-ordinating the functions of state departments and administrations, as well as preparing and initiating legislation.