GNU parties clearing final hurdles ahead of Ramaphosa's Cabinet announcement

JOHANNESBURG - Political parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU) are clearing final hurdles ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s much-anticipated new Cabinet announcement.

Eyewitness News understands Ramaphosa will meet with John Steenhuisen on Monday after the Democratic Alliance (DA) sent a letter to the African National Congress (ANC) in response to an offer of only six portfolios.

The DA is pushing for more posts, while some in the ANC want to retain strategic departments.

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The biggest parties at the table in the GNU are confident there’ll be a Cabinet in a few days while the back-and-forth wrangling over portfolios continues.

Eyewitness News understands eight might be the magic number, but the delays in talks are due to deliberations over several issues, including mechanisms on how decisions and conflicts in Cabinet will be resolved.

While a trust deficit exists, entrenched party traditions and ways of conducting business have added another dynamic to the talks.

The DA sent a six-page letter to the ANC on Sunday, rejecting a proposal to receive only five positions in the executive.