Cabinet talks stall after ANC withdraws trade offerThe rand fell as much as 1.3% and traded 1% weaker at R18.35 by 10:58 a.m. in Johannesburg.-By Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg

[Nat Quinn]

Cabinet talks stall after ANC withdraws trade offerThe rand fell as much as 1.3% and traded 1% weaker at R18.35 by 10:58 a.m. in Johannesburg.-By Antony Sguazzin, Bloomberg

Talks between South Africa’s two biggest political parties on forming a cabinet stalled after the African National Congress withdrew an offer to appoint a member of the smaller Democratic Alliance as trade and industry minister, people familiar with the matter said.

While the ANC offered to instead cede the tourism portfolio, the DA objected as the party sees it as a minor ministry, said the people who asked not to be identified as the negotiations are private.

The disagreement is delaying a deal over the appointment of ministers almost a month after the election cost the ANC its parliamentary majority for the first time. Still, negotiations on the cabinet were always expected to be difficult and it’s anticipated that an agreement may yet be reached, the people said.

“We’re not doing any comms on ongoing negotiations because things keep changing at any given point,” DA national spokesman Solly Malatsi said by phone. Calls to ANC spokeswoman Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri didn’t connect when Bloomberg sought comment.

The setback is the latest twist in talks that are being watched anxiously by investors. The DA had initially asked for about 10 ministerial posts, while the ANC had offered three, Bloomberg has previously reported. The two parties, which have been bitter opponents for decades, later settled on about six, with the DA wanting to be represented in the so-called economic cluster, which includes the trade and industry portfolio.

The six positions, including trade and industry, had been offered to the DA in writing by President Cyril Ramaphosa and accepted by DA leader John Steenhuisen, one of the people said. The ANC has irked the DA by pushing back on the number of posts the smaller party says it’s entitled to after winning more than a fifth of the vote and by including smaller parties in the proposed government without consulting it, the people said.

The ANC has been under pressure from its labour-union allies not to cede trade and industry and instead push the DA toward tourism, public works and home affairs, another person said.

The unions would be willing to accept Ramaphosa appointing someone from outside politics — such as a business figure — to the post of trade and industry as they feel the DA may implement measures that could lead to job cuts, one of the people said.

Should the two parties come to an agreement, investors anticipate an acceleration of economic reforms needed to address the nation’s energy crisis, fix its collapsing ports and railways, and reduce crime and corruption. The rand has whipsawed in recent days on speculation that talks between the ANC and the centrist Democratic Alliance have either moved closer to an agreement or further away.

While the talks have slowed, they are not at a deadlock and negotiations are expected to carry on for a few more days, the people said, stressing the intention to form a broad coalition government is still in place on both sides.

News24, a South African news site, reported earlier that the ANC had withdrawn the offer of a key ministry, without identifying it.

The rand fell as much as 1.3% and traded 1% weaker at R18.35 by 10:58 a.m. in Johannesburg.

 

SOURCE:Cabinet talks stall after ANC withdraws trade offer – Moneyweb

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