After 30 years of ANC control in South Africa, Friday marked a momentous shift as the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA) agreed to form a new national unity government. With 283 legislative votes, President Cyril Ramaphosa was able to achieve a second term.
Since Nelson Mandela’s election win in 1994, which abolished apartheid, no political shift has been as dramatic as this cooperation between the two formerly antagonistic parties. “It will once again be a privilege and pleasure to serve this great nation,” Ramaphosa, 71, told parliament, praising the new administration as a hopeful and inclusive age.
DA leader John Steenhuisen hailed the occasion as historic, stressing the importance of putting the country’s future first.
The new power-sharing dynamic was highlighted when an ANC politician was chosen speaker and a DA member was elected deputy speaker of the National Assembly. Others see the alliance as a vehicle for constructive change, despite the fact that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and certain members of the ANC are hostile to the DA’s involvement.
Expecting either rapid reforms or policy continuity, investors have greeted the arrangement with open arms.
