GNU faces new test over cabinet power struggle

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JEREMY MAGGS: Let’s start the programme with national politics. The expected removal of John Steenhuisen as Agriculture Minister is about a lot more than just one DA politician losing a cabinet post.

It raises, I think, bigger questions about the government of national unity (GNU). Are cabinet seats controlled by the president (Cyril Ramaphosa), by parties or by internal party politics?

Well, let’s discuss what this could mean for the government of national unity. In that respect, I’m joined by Busani Ngcaweni, who’s director of the Centre for Public Policy and African Studies at the University of Johannesburg.

Busani, a very warm welcome to you. First of all, Geordin Hill-Lewis, the leader of the party, do you think he might have overreached by making a public demand before the president has, in fact, acted?

BUSANI NGCAWENI: Good afternoon to you and all the listeners.

Yes, indeed. I think he has overreached in a terrible way by doing what maybe we should call a recall.

He is recalling Steenhuisen, who was the leader of the DA, now that he is no longer the leader. He is being recalled, of course, along with several others.

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There is a story in the DA, Jeremy, that says that when John put together people into cabinet when he was invited to join the GNU, some of the people who he brought onto the system might not have been people who enjoyed popular support.

Some were seen to be junior. There was a story that they were saying that it was John and his 12 disciples. I suppose some of the people who are being removed now are part of those disciples of John Steenhuisen.

JEREMY MAGGS: Is there a wider precedent or the potential for a wider precedent? In other words, could this encourage other GNU partners to renegotiate cabinet positions if they have internal leadership fights?

BUSANI NGCAWENI: I suppose they could do so. It’s natural in any political system that such could occur.

But the issue at play here is the fact that there is a GNU.

There are two structures that are there to support the work of the GNU, which are political machinations outside of what is presented in the Constitution.

Those are a clearing house, which ought to be dealing with policy issues chaired by the deputy president (Paul Mashatile). There is also an occasional meeting held by the president of the ANC (African National Congress) and of the republic with the leaders of the parties who are part of the GNU.

In such a meeting, we have seen people who are not in the national executive also participating, such as Mmusi Maimaine, because he was allocated the position that he holds, as well as Songezo Zibi and others.

Why am I mentioning these two?

It is precisely because if and when there are contradictions in the GNU, or if the parties want to make some changes, they need to go to the clearing platform before making a statement where effectively you make a directive that the president must reshuffle cabinet.

Because this is not just one person stepping out of cabinet. It’s a whole reshuffle of cabinet, which then means the president must then use the provisions of Section 91(2) of the Constitution to then make the changes into his national executive.

He might as well have planned to do so. Of course, there is a vacancy which ought to be filled at social development, but in the manner in which it has been done and how it is happening, it’s unprecedented.

I must tell you this, Jeremy. In the past, in the context of the ANC as a majority party of the time, with its governing alliance, we all knew that behind the scenes there was jostling for positions and so on, and that there were certain people who represented the other alliance partners of the ANC who would end up in cabinet.

But we never saw Cosatu (Congress of South African Trade Unions) or the SACP (South African Communist Party) or anybody making a public statement saying Jeremy is our guy and Jeremy must be the minister of communications or whatever the case might be.

This is unprecedented, both in the manner in which it has been done, and we are communicating with the president, with the head of state, through the media, which will have a dampener on how the two parties are able to tolerate each other.

JEREMY MAGGS: Busani, just for the record, Jeremy doesn’t want any cabinet position at all. I think I just need to make that clear to you.

BUSANI NGCAWENI: (Chuckling)

JEREMY MAGGS: Just a quick one in conclusion, it puts a lot of pressure on the president himself. What does he lose politically if he gives the DA exactly what it wants? And what does he risk if he says no?

BUSANI NGCAWENI: Well, firstly, it turns cabinet into a bring-and-share. I’m sure, Jeremy, your listeners have been to those bring-and-share parties. So it changes the cabinet into a bring-and-share.

So what does he lose?

If he does it, he will emerge weak. He is being directed by someone who has no political accountability, who has no legislative authority and power to effect the changes into the national executive.

The president will appear very weak, that he’s being instructed and directed by the leader of the DA to make changes into this cabinet.

If he doesn’t, and of course some people believe that he shouldn’t do it, they need to go back to the drawing board and negotiate this thing and discuss how it’s going to be done.

If he doesn’t do it, well, I suppose the DA will dig in their heels, will demand that this thing must be done, and so on.

And the president may say, I’m not opposed to making changes to cabinet. Cabinet changes can happen at any other time, but it’s the manner in which it is being done because it disrespects the office now of the president, regardless of who’s holding or occupying that position.

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But also, it violates the spirit of Section 91(2) of the Constitution.

So he can say, look, this is a bring-and-share. This is what you want to do. You may as well go and hold your party elsewhere. The president may emerge stronger in the face of the public if he’s able to say no to this, because it shouldn’t be done this way.

JEREMY MAGGS: Thank you very much indeed. Busani Ngcaweni is director of the Centre for Public Policy and African Studies at the University of Johannesburg.