The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has written to the African National Congress (ANC) expressing their willingness to work with the party amid talks to form the seventh administration.
However, the EFF’s offer hinges on the exclusion of the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Freedom Front Plus (FF+).
This is revealed in a letter to the ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula penned by the EFF’s Secretary-General Marshall Dlamini.
The EFF believes that based on the ANC and EFF election manifestos, there is more to bring them together to co-govern.
In the lengthy letter, the EFF proposes a new agreement or Statement of Intent between the EFF and ANC instead of the ANC’s Statement of Intent agreed to by the GNU partners.
This new agreement would have to, amongst others, include the principles of redress and equality.
The EFF further adds that it is willing to participate in any executive as long as the DA and FF Plus are not included.
In addition, the party also affirms the principle that the President and Premiers have the prerogative to determine the composition of the executive after consultation with the leadership of the EFF.
However, it found it key to express the party’s desire to be represented in all the clusters of national government, as ministers or deputies as well as roles in the legislatures.
This letter comes amid ongoing talks and the imminent announcement of the next executive by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
ANC and DA disagreements
10 days have lapsed since President Cyril Ramaphosa was inaugurated for a second term, and the new cabinet that forms the Government of National Unity has yet to be announced.
South Africans are now urging government to get on with it and announce the new cabinet for the seventh administration. Both the ANC and DA have so far failed to agree on the allocation of ministerial posts.
These citizens say that time is being wasted with the back and forth between the ANC and the DA.
“The DA they are showing that they are hungry for power. They can’t ask for too much. What we want is the government to work for the people. It’s good that they are open and transparent in the beginning before it’s too late into the new government. We don’t want to continuously hear about their controversies and what they agreed to and what they didn’t, I think they should get cracking now, get cracking with fixing the water. I think they should share the power in such a way that the public is happy. Because at the end of the day, it’s about the voters. That’s what politics is about, it’s about power and position. So, ya, even if there is a cabinet I will not be focussing on my phone at half past four, it’s all about the Proteas for me.” -Additional reporting by Taresh Harreeparshad
Dr Ongama Mtimka in anticipation of the much-awaited announcement of GNU:
