For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Lumkile Nkomfe.

Making headlines: GNU Cabinet will increase transparent governance, accountability – FW de Klerk Foundation; Kganyago welcomes Godongwana's reappointment as Finance Minister; And, New trade and industry leadership expected to use industrial policy levers to support key sectors

GNU Cabinet will increase transparent governance, accountability – FW de Klerk Foundation

The FW de Klerk Foundation today expressed confidence in the newly appointed national executive of the Government of National Unity, saying it would increase transparent governance and accountability to the people of South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday announced 32 ministerial positions of the GNU, with 20 position being filled by the African National Congress, six by the Democratic Alliance and the remainder split among a crowd of smaller coalition parties.

After losing its outright majority in the 2024 national and provincial elections, the ANC was forced to form a coalition government.

The foundation’s executive director Christo van der Rheede said the announcement of the new Cabinet marked a significant step forward for South Africa’s GNU.

Kganyago welcomes Godongwana's reappointment as Finance Minister

South African central bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago welcomed the reappointment of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in the new coalition cabinet unveiled by the president this week.

Kganyago said South Africa still has the same minister of finance that it had been talking to, who has always been providing guidance and leadership on macroeconomic policy and that gives comfort.

The formation of the so-called government of national unity also provides reassurance to investors who had been concerned about what type of coalition would be formed in the wake of elections in May, he said.

The African National Congress, which had governed South Africa for three decades since the end of apartheid in 1994, lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in the May 29 vote. That forced the party to form a coalition government with rivals including the centrist Democratic Alliance and other smaller parties.

And, New trade and industry leadership expected to use industrial policy levers to support key sectors

With industrial policy back in fashion in many economies, business and policy specialists expect new Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau to prioritise measures to support key sectors, including those aligned to the emerging green economy.

The former Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister and City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor has been appointed to the position in the government of national unity together with two deputies, Zuko Godlimpi, also of the African National Congress, and Andrew Whitfield, of the Democratic Alliance.

The position was held by Ebrahim Patel, who retired at the end of his term, and debate regarding who would occupy the key economic portfolio was intense ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s June 30 announcement, as it was reportedly offered to the Democratic Alliance before being withdrawn.

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition is responsible for a range of economy-shaping policies, including those seeking to redress racial imbalances that persist in the business environment, and it also has implementation responsibilities, through various agencies, in areas as diverse as industrial financing and company registrations, to standards and competition enforcement.

In welcoming the appointments, Business Unity South Africa CEO designate Khulekani Mathe told Engineering News that he expected dtic’s new political leaders to prioritise the enhancement of the country's industrial policy to support key sectors, while also promoting innovation and ensuring sustainable industrial development.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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