South Africa's apartheid era New National Party (NNP) and the ruling African National Congress yesterday unveiled a new deal which would see the two former opponents work together on provincial and national level.
In a joint statement, released in Cape Town, the two parties gave details of a power-sharing deal in the Western Cape province, which will also allow for NNP appointments to posts in parliament, and will create a national forum to seek consensus on government policy.
The two parties said they would appoint six members to the Western Cape's provincial legislature, with the post of premier going to the NNP.
"The premier will not have a casting vote and decisions will be taken on the basis of consensus. If consensus cannot be reached the issue will be referred to the respective national officials of each party or their nominees," it said.
"The commitment by the two parties to co-operation is a long-term commitment beyond 2004," the statement said.
Following the 1999 general elections, the ANC won 18 seats in the province, the NNP 17 and the Democratic Party (DP) five.
The NNP made a national pact with the DP to form the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which helped put it in control of the Western Cape Province.
But a move by DP and DA leader Mr Tony Leon to oust former Cape Town mayor, Mr Peter Marais, an NNP member over a street-naming scandal, sparked a crisis, prompting the NNP to withdraw from the alliance and move towards the ANC.
NNP leader, Mr Marthinus van Schalkwyk, said yesterday the transfer of power in the province would be done in an "absolutely orderly fashion" and that the NNP would give the DP 30 days' notice of the termination of their power-sharing pact. "This is a historic agreement and is based on trust," the South African news agency SAPA quoted him as saying. "It provides us with a key to reshaping the political landscape".
South Africa's first black defence minister and former liberation fighter, Mr Joe Modise, died late on Monday night at his home near Pretoria after a lengthy battle with cancer, local media reported yesterday. He was 72.