All parties involved in the Multi-Party Charter for South Africa signed a pre-election agreement, which covers their vision, priorities and shared governing principles. They also made decisions on power sharing, which will most likely benefit the DA as the biggest party in the potential coalition.

The seven opposition parties that have been part of the two-day coalition convention at Emperors Palace in Kempton Park decided that government positions would be allocated to parties based on the outcome of the 2024 elections. The parties will use a proportional system to determine exactly how they will share positions.

A decision was made that the leader of government business will be the leader of the biggest party, which would probably be Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen as his party is the largest in the pact and is likely to retain its status following the 2024 elections.

"The largest party in a coalition in the National Assembly that arises from this agreement, and that does not hold the position of President of the Republic will hold the position of Leader of Government Business," the agreement reads.

Daily Maverick has reported that it was part of the DA's plan to clinch that position.

Steenhuisen highlighted the importance of the role during a press briefing on Thursday.

"The leader of government business in the current configuration is the Deputy President, but the two positions are distinct in the Constitution; it is dealt with in section 91(4) and 91(5). The...