Cape Town, June 14 (IANS/DPA): South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has secured a coalition agreement between his African National Congress (ANC) party and the former opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA) shortly before the vote in Parliament on Friday.

John Steenhuisen, a leading DA politician, said in Cape Town that a "new chapter" was beginning in South Africa after two weeks of intensive negotiations.

The declaration to form a government of national unity was signed and stated that a coalition, which includes other parties, is in the interests of all South Africans.

Following an election defeat, the ruling ANC party failed to secure an absolute majority for the first time in the country's democratic history.

The ANC, the party of former anti-apartheid fighter Nelson Mandela, suffered a massive loss of power in the parliamentary elections on May 29.

It is the first time in 30 years that it must form a coalition government.