The Longest Day: MPs sworn in, Speaker in the chair, Ramaphosa re-elected President – next, the inauguration

Friday’s National Assembly proceedings dragged on for some 14 hours as contested positions of speaker, deputy speaker and president went to a secret ballot, with each of the MPs in the House casting their ballot in a process of over two hours.

The president was announced at ten minutes past 11pm – ANC’s Cyril Ramaphosa beat EFF leader Julius Malema, 283 vote to 44 with 12 spoilt ballots.

Friday’s contestation over the presidency, but also the National Assembly speaker and deputy signalled the rise of disruptive politics with the so-called progressive caucus of the EFF, United Democratic Movement (UDM), Al Jama-ah and others pitted against a national unity government formed by the ANC, DA and IFP that has yet to prove its mettle.

As MPs were sworn in on Friday morning word emerged the national unity government had agreed on ANC MP Thoko Didiza for National Assembly speaker, DA MP Annelie Lotriet as the deputy and Ramaphosa for president.

“We’ll support the president,” said DA leader John Steenhuisen in a media briefing after he announced the DA had formally signed up to the government of national unity. And that meant also taking up other parliamentary positions – and cabinet posts after consultations between the president and leaders of the political parties part of the national unity government.

“This arrangement ensures that the voices of DA voters will now be heard in all the rooms where decisions are made about the future of our country,” said Steenhuisen in a YouTube address on Friday lunch time. “Thanks to the 3.5 million people who voted for us, the DA will no longer only be an opposition party at national level. Instead, the DA now becomes the second biggest party inside a multiparty national government.”

But the EFF, UDM, African Transformation Movement (ATM), al Jama-ah and others organised themselves into what they call “the progressive caucus”, a counter to the national unity government. And the start of a new style of disruptive politicking.

As part of their strategy, the progressive caucus parties contested each of the constitutional positions the National Assembly had to elect in its first sitting.

EFF MP and national chairperson Veronica Mente was proposed as speaker, but lost against Didiza 284 votes against 49, with nine abstentions. The former agriculture and land reform minister, who as house chairperson from 2014 to 2016 gained the respect across the aisle of the House for the manner in which she chaired sittings.

Then the EFF proposed ATM leader Vuyolwethu Zungula as deputy speaker against Lotriet. Like Mente, he lost with 54 votes against Lotriet’s 273.

Crucially, both vote breakdowns show the ANC’s 159 MPs were joined by the DA’s 87 MPs, the IFP’s 17 MPs and others in an indication the national unity government position held. That’s both at National Assembly and in Day One test of the unity, the position held the line – nationally and in the provinces.

When Ramaphosa was announced as president by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo just after 11pm, the House burst into song. The 283 votes against 44 reflected the pattern of the day, and evening – and showed the national unity government position held. Again, the ANC’s 159 MPs were joined by the DA’s 87 MPs, the IFP’s 17 MPs and others.

That unity line also prevailed in the provincial legislatures where DA members took the deputy speakership in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, where the IFP’s Thami Ntuli became premier.

In a traditional practice, each political party was given an opportunity to congratulate the president elect Ramaphosa, who also had his say – just before midnight.

“The significance of the votes... is not so much in the result in the vote that was delivered, but it is the historic meaning and this moment that is truly significant. That a number of parties that had opposed each other but that represent the majority of South Africans decided to work together to give this result has given a new era to our country. This is an era of hope and an era of inclusivity,” said Ramaphosa.

“I wish to state very clearly this is not a grand coalition of two or three parties. It is a government of national unity that we are constituting... We were here before in 1994 when we sought to unite our country... We are here now as by the vote our people delivered.”

Ramaphosa’s election as President is the only constitutional criteria to form the next government.

His inauguration to take the oath of office is scheduled for Wednesday 19 June at the Union Buildings – it marks the last constitutional deadline linked to elections, and forming a government. That’s the maximum five days permitted in Section 87 of the Constitution between the presidential election in the House to taking the oath of office.

No timelines or deadlines exist for the announcement of the cabinet. In 2019 then president Ramaphosa took four days; presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma announced their executive the day after their inauguration.

It’s understood the ANC would want to retain finance and security cluster ministries like police, defence, state security and home affairs, and their related parliamentary committee chairpersonships.

However, on Friday both Steenhuisen and ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula maintained no deal had yet been done on positions.

“The government of national unity is on track,” said Mbalula, adding it would ultimately also lead to an inclusive national dialogue with labour, business, civil society and others to reach a joint approach to solve South Africa’s challenges.

Both the DA and ANC, also the IFP, on Friday agreed it had been more important to have concluded, and agreed on the principles and intentions of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Statement of Intent, a copy of which the Daily Maverick has seen.

Foundational principles of that statement of intent include respect for the Constitution and the rule of law, non-racialism and non-sexism, social justice, redress and equity and the alleviation of poverty and human dignity alongside “accountability, transparency and community participation in government” and evidence based policy and decision making.

What’s called the “basic minimum programme of priorities” in the Statement of Intent, includes rapid and inclusive economic growth, creating a more just society by tackling poverty, food security and protecting workers’ rights and strengthening law enforcement, building state capacity and foreign policy based on human rights.

A lekgotla is scheduled to settle policy measures and further details of joint programmes of action.

While cabinet appointments are the prerogative of the president, the national unity government agreement will accommodate the DA and IFP proportionally to strength at the Hustings, to the national unity government stated agreements.

The agreement for Friday’s election of National Assembly speaker, deputy speaker and president, as well as Saturday’s election of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) chairperson, were nailed down at the 11th hour as MPs were being sworn in.

When MPs and their guests arrived for the 10am start, the mood was jovial and relaxed. Many returning MPs would have last seen each other in late March when Parliament rose ahead of the elections. Dress was business or traditional, with none of the frills and fancies seen at a State of the Nation Address (Sona) opening of Parliament.

Friday’s constitutionally required elections of National Assembly speaker, deputy speaker and the president have wrapped the 2024 elections. The next step, the presidential inauguration on Wednesday 19 June, five days after the presidential election in the House, is the last constitutional timeline.

Then with the announcement of the next cabinet and executive shifts the focus to getting to work to, as the ANC-DA-IFP national unity government Statement of Intent puts it:

“At this historic juncture, we must act to ensure stability and peace, tackling the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality, entrench our Constitutional democracy and the rule of law, and to build a South Africa for all its people.

“The people of South Africa expect us to work together as political parties to achieve these objectives, and to usher in a new era of peace, justice and prosperity for all.” DM