South Africa’s new unity government, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, was sworn in on Wednesday during a televised ceremony in Cape Town. This follows weeks of intense coalition negotiations after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its outright parliamentary majority in the May 29 elections.
Paul Mashatile, re-appointed as deputy president, was the first to take the oath ahead of the 32 ministers forming the cabinet. The ANC, which has governed since 1994, retains 20 cabinet positions, including key ministries such as foreign affairs, finance, defence, justice, and police.
In unveiling his coalition government on Sunday, Ramaphosa, 71, included the leader of the former main opposition party, increasing the number of ministries from 30 to 32. There are also 43 deputy ministers.
The largest coalition partner, the Democratic Alliance (DA), known for its criticism of the ANC’s governance, will head six ministries. DA leader John Steenhuisen, 48, has been appointed agriculture minister. “The new government heralds a pragmatic shift to the centre-right, bringing hope for better governance but also cohesion fears,” Ramaphosa stated.
Other coalition partners include the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party, the anti-immigration Patriotic Alliance, the right-wing Afrikaans party Freedom-Front Plus, and smaller parties, which collectively hold six cabinet positions.
Ramaphosa has faced criticism over the expanded cabinet, with opposition and business leaders expressing concerns about potential governmental inefficiency and increased taxpayer burden. The opposition leftist Economic Freedom Fighters voiced concern that the cabinet’s expansion signals “more pressure on taxpayers.”
