Political analysts say South Africa's new Government of National Unity (GNU) can expect more vigorous debate in Parliament and President Cyril Ramaphosa's administration should be prepared for greater accountability and stronger oversight.
The opposition's entry into the government has called into question its role in holding the ruling party to account, but analysts say parliament's oversight of the executive branch will likely become even stronger.
Most ministers are still ANC members, but the party only received 40 percent of the vote, so the composition of parliamentary committees will change.
“In the past, the ANC was able to literally force policies through parliament with its majority. In other words, parliament hardly stood in the way of the executive's interests, but this will definitely be different going forward. Debates will be more competitive and there will be more competition of ideas,” said Dr Piet Kroucamp from North-West University.
“In our tradition, the ANC has not only a cabinet but also a parliament. It has the advantage of being the only party with a speaker across the board, which has actually weakened accountability quite a bit. So having a multi-party government would mean having a multi-party speaker across the board. That might seem to weaken the power of parliament, but I don't think it weakens the power of parliament, and I don't think it weakens the accountability of cabinet. I think it strengthens the accountability of cabinet and parliament,” says Tessa Doomes, programme director at Rivonia Circle.
Traditionally, members of opposition parties hold executive positions and it is important to remember that ministers from all parties are bound by the same Cabinet Protocol when it comes to how they carry out their duties.
“The agriculture minister might not like something about agricultural policy, but if he brings it to cabinet and says there are things he would like to change, he has the opportunity to persuade his colleagues in cabinet. But once the decision has been made he has to defend the government's policy,” says Dr Harlan Cloete, a researcher at UFS.
This too will be a positive thing that will encourage genuine engagement between the parties.
The success of this structure, they say, depends on all GNU stakeholders not pursuing only their own interests.