South Africa’s Chief Justice Raymond Zondo presided Wednesday over the swearing-in ceremony of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new Cabinet of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in Cape Town.
It includes the deputy president, 32 ministers, and 43 deputy ministers drawn from different parties who joined the African National Congress (ANC) party in forming the GNU after it lost its parliamentary majority in the May 29 elections. The previous administration had 30 ministers.
Ramaphosa announced his much anticipated GNU Cabinet late Sunday after weeks of negotiations and bargaining for portfolio positions with 11 partners.
He retained Paul Mashatile as his deputy and appointed Ronald Lamola, 40, as the new minister of international relations and cooperation.
Lamola, the former justice and constitutional affairs minister, is one of the youngest members of the Cabinet. He succeeded Naledi Pandor.
Ramaphosa also retained Enoch Godongwana as finance minister and named his political rival, John Steenhuisen, the leader of the Democratic Alliance, the second biggest party in government, as agriculture minister.
Professor Andre Duvenhage of North West University told Anadolu it is a historic moment that in 30 years of democracy the country has a Government of National Unity ending the one-party domination of the ANC. The ANC, once led by Nelson Mandela, ruled South Africa without a coalition for 30 years.
Asked what he thought about the size of the Cabinet, Duvenhage said, “The Cabinet is by far too big compared to other countries. But it is important that we have a far big cabinet because we need room to accommodate different people for stability,” he said.