The DA’s federal executive leader John Steenhuisen, has promised to “rescue” South Africa and infuse clean governance.
Steenhuisen was on Sunday announced as the new minister of agriculture alongside five other DA members who are ministers and deputy ministers in the seventh administration.
President Cyril Ramaphosa in his address to the nation on Sunday night appointed DA Cabinet ministers: Siviwe Gwarube as his basic education minister; Solly Malatsi as communications minister; Dean Macpherson as public works minister, Leon Schreiber as home affairs minister; and Dion George as environmental affairs minister.
The DA was also awarded six deputy ministries as part of the GNU deal after it demanded 11 ministerial positions during the negotiations that almost stalled by “outlandish” demands.
On Monday, Steenhuisen addressed a media briefing following an agreement to enter the Government of National Unity (GNU).
Steenhuisen said the new arrangement is part of what the people of South Africa wanted when they failed to give the ANC an outright majority in the elections.
“Just more than two weeks ago, I announced that the DA had negotiated an agreement to enter the national government. In terms of that agreement, we helped to elect Mr Cyril Ramaphosa as President, Ms Thoko Didiza as Speaker of the National Assembly, and the DA’s Dr Annelie Lotriet as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
“On Sunday evening, President Ramaphosa announced the new national Cabinet, after he and I reached an agreement that was subsequently ratified by the DA’s federal executive on the configuration of the DA’s participation in the Cabinet.
“The appointment of the Cabinet and the agreement between the two biggest parties inside the Government of National Unity paves the way for us to now start delivering for the people of South Africa,” Steenhuisen said.
He revealed that with the DA being represented in key clusters in the newly-reconfigured administration, DA voters will be well represented.
“This means that, for the first time ever, the voices of DA voters will be heard in every sector and in every room where decisions are made about our country’s future.
“In the economics cluster, the DA will use our influential Cabinet seats in agriculture; public works and infrastructure; the environment, forestry and fisheries; as well as our deputy minister roles in finance; trade and industry; and small business development to pursue rapid growth and job creation.”
Steenhuisen added that his party will use its experience of “clean governance” to ensure service delivery is heightened.
“On the governance-front, the DA will build on our experience in improving service delivery to reform and enhance the vital front-line portfolio of home affairs.
“We will use our representation as basic education minister, as well as our higher education deputy minister to focus like a laser beam on improving the quality of education our children and students receive,” he said.
With Malatsi as minister of communications, and the deputy positions in the energy and water and sanitation, Steenhuisen said this will allow the DA to improve in the delivery of services in these sectors.
“Our representation in the communications portfolio alongside the deputy positions in water and sanitation as well as energy and electricity, enables the DA to contribute the improvement of these critical services.
“The sheer weight and spread of these 12 portfolios amount to a recognition that the DA has a meaningful and vital role to play in the reconstruction of our country.
“The DA was never in this for positions for their own sake, which is why we refused to accept watered-down compromises, and why we drove a hard bargain at times to ensure that the portfolios we get are of real substance,” Steenhuisen said.
The Star