The seven opposition parties that have been part of the two-day coalition convention at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park decided that government positions would be allocated to parties based on the outcome of the 2024 elections. The parties will use a proportional system to determine exactly how they will share positions.

A decision was made that the leader of government business will be the leader of the biggest party, which would probably be Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen as his party is the largest in the pact and is likely to retain its status following the 2024 elections.

“The largest party in a coalition in the National Assembly that arises from this agreement, and that does not hold the position of President of the Republic will hold the position of Leader of Government Business,” the agreement reads.

Daily Maverick has reported that it was part of the DA’s plan to clinch that position.

Steenhuisen highlighted the importance of the role during a press briefing on Thursday.

“The leader of government business in the current configuration is the Deputy President, but the two positions are distinct in the Constitution; it is dealt with in section 91(4) and 91(5). The leader of government business is an incredibly important position. It is the nexus for the legislative agenda; getting reforms passed is going to be so fundamentally important,” he said.

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The seven parties meeting as part of the Multi-Party Charter for South Africa are the DA, Inkatha Freedom Pary (IFP), Freedom Front Plus (FF+), ActionSA, United Independent Movement (UIM), Independent SA National Civic Organisation (Isanco) and the Spectrum National Party (SNP).

They spent the past two days mulling over how to remove the ANC from power and keep the EFF from holding any governance positions.

‘A fair compromise’

IFP president Velenkosini Hlabisa said he was satisfied with the arrangement as the final decision had been made fairly.

“The IFP is very comfortable with the decision we arrived at because it is a fair compromise that we have a clear understanding of. In a coalition government, it is not always the case that a political party that has the majority will lead the coalition.

“Collectively, we agree that whoever should lead the charter for South Africa as a president should be decided once the results are out. We do not put one political party at the advantage at the expense of other parties,” he said.

FF+ leader Pieter Groenewald said that one of their non-negotiables when it came to power sharing was that appointments should be made on merit. 

“We say if you talk about power sharing we are talking about the structure of government, for instance, and Cabinet thereof. We say that we have one criterion, which is merit. We must have the best people to serve in the positions. So, when the issue came up of the president and all the other positions, we said we are not going to take a decision of who it will be, we must first wait for after elections and then we will choose the best person,” he said.

The agreement states that positions will be awarded based on merit and principle while the diversity of parties must be represented in leadership positions and the principle of separation of powers should be observed within the coalition.

Before the convention, several opposition party leaders questioned whether the DA was still considering working with the ANC after the 2024 elections.

The agreement reached on Thursday ruled out that prospect.

“We will not entertain any working arrangement or co-governing agreements with the ANC, EFF or any rival formations, and we will not vote for any office bearers of the ANC and EFF — nominated either directly or indirectly — at any inaugural meetings of the National Assembly, National Council of Provinces, and provincial legislature,” it read.

Lifestyle audits and an exit clause

The agreement slams cadre deployment and aims to build a professional public service instead.

All candidates who will be put forward to occupy office, either nationally or provincially, must undergo an independent lifestyle audit, the results of which will be considered before any resolution to support their candidature. The outcomes of the lifestyle audits will be made public.

The parties also agreed that a “fundamental and wholesale review of the Ministerial Handbook be initiated to ensure that a Cabinet of a new multi-party coalition government reflects the need to redirect budget resources to address the pressing needs of South Africans”.

The agreement will commence on the date of the founding parties signing it and can be amended only by consensus. However, parties can withdraw from the agreement “if they provide written notice of their exit from the Multi-Party Charter For South Africa or if they are removed from the agreement by a consensus decision of the other signatory parties”.

The agreement “will only cease to exist by unanimous resolution of the signatory parties or upon the adoption of a multi-party coalition agreement being agreed after the 2024 national and provincial elections”.

Charter slammed for lack of diversity

The Multi-Party Charter for South Africa has been criticised for its lack of diversity.

Their agreement states, “The collective cabinet or executive committee must reflect the diversity of the South African people.” But the negotiation team had only three women.

The DA brought along two of its female leaders, including party Parliamentary Whip Siviwe Gwarube.

“I can confidently say we had a 50-50 representation. I can’t speak for the other parties, but having looked at the incredible work that Siviwe and the contribution she made over the last two days, we will be greatly served by having more women in the room,” Steenhuisen said.

Hlabisa said it was clear that it had been an error for the gathering not to involve more women at the negotiation table.

“We acknowledge that our first meeting did not give a fair representation in terms of the matter of [women’s representation]. We do not want to beat around the bush about that one,” he said. DM