South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced opposition leader John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance (DA) as the Minister of Agriculture.
Ramaphosa also announced that he had awarded opposition parties in his coalition, 12 out of 32 ministries.
The largest opposition the Democratic Alliance (DA) won six ministries including education, public works and environment, while six other posts went to smaller parties.
The African National Congress (ANC) would retain 20 ministries including key portfolios such as finance, foreign affairs, energy and defence.
Ramaphosa, 71, re-elected for a second full term, called a government of national unity after ANC lost its outright majority in the May election.
“The minister of agriculture is John Steenhuisen,” Ramaphosa said from Pretoria in a televised address to the nation.
Ramaphosa has had to balance demands for key ministerial positions from within his own party and its new allies.
During tense negotiations, leaked documents of disagreements on positions between Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen circulated on social media.
The ANC, who has governed South Africa since the advent of democracy in 1994, accused the DA of making “outrageous demands” for more than 10 cabinet positions some of which are key portfolios.
The DA won 87 parliamentary seats compared to the ANC’s 159.
On Saturday, leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) made an eleventh hour counter proposal to the government of national unity, pitching an exclusive coalition with the ANC and other leftist parties.
