POLL | Is it a good idea that the DA is suggesting the next finance minister be a person who works in SA banks?

If the DA gets its way, finance minister Enoch Godongwana's job could be on the line, as the party is said to have told the ANC during talks President Cyril Ramaphosa should appoint a finance minister who is not a leader of the ANC.

TimesLIVE Premium reported the proposal was tabled on Saturday when the two parties met to discuss the ANC's proposed government of national unity (GNU) and formation of the cabinet.

The DA proposed that the finance minister be recruited from respected financial institutions, an insider said.

The ANC has approached a number of political parties to find a way of forming a functional GNU.

An ANC insider said while this proposal would be welcomed by its GNU partners, the ANC negotiators would have difficulty getting buy-in from its NEC. “There is no reason we should replace Enoch Godongwana. He has been accepted by the markets and business. We can't be dictated to by the DA.”

The DA is said to have presented its own framework to the ANC which placed the protection of the constitution at the centre of its proposals. 

In his weekly newsletter on Monday, Ramaphosa urged the incoming seventh administration not to abandon his momentum of economic reform.

The president said reform continuity is important, fearing a change in direction would derail progress made and take the country back to the starting blocks.

“While we have come a long way in the reform journey, there is much work to be done to reignite growth in our economy. Regardless of the form or composition of the incoming administration, it is important the momentum of reform be retained and sustained,” he said.

The country will have a new president on Friday when the National Assembly sits for the first time for the opening of parliament. The president will also be elected in the same sitting.