ANC’s Ramatlhodi resigns as MP
• Former minister aims to keep serving party
Former public service and administration minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi has become the latest high-profile ANC MP to resign, bringing to four the number of axed ministers to leave Parliament in just one week.
Former public service and administration minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi has become the latest high-profile ANC MP to resign, bringing to four in a week the number of axed ministers to leave Parliament.
Ramatlhodi was among the ministers who grew more critical of President Jacob Zuma’s leadership and was replaced by former communications minister Faith Muthambi.
Ramatlhodi is an advocate as well as an academic. He served as premier of Limpopo from 1994 to 2004.
He also served as minister of mineral resources before moving to the Department of Public Service and Administration in Zuma’s preceding reshuffle. Ramatlhodi told Business Day he had taken ill but would announce his plans following the resignation soon.
A source close to Ramatlhodi said the former minister was keen to serve the ANC within party structures.
“He remains in the NEC [national executive committee]. He is still an active ANC member. With all of these challenges affecting the organisation, it makes sense for him to pull out and see how you assist in collectively working with others to serve the organisation,” the source said.
ANC spokeswoman Khusela Sangoni said it would be up to ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe to refer to the ANC’s national list as well as its province-to-national lists to replace the ministers and deputies who resigned as MPs.
“The process of replacing [those] MPs is quite clear … the secretary-general will assess that and notify Parliament accordingly,” Sangoni said.
The ANC parliamentary caucus confirmed on Wednesday Ramatlhodi had tendered his resignation as MP.
He resigned after former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, former transport minister Dipuo Peters and former energy minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson had quit on March 31, the day after the president had removed them from their positions in a seismic cabinet reshuffle.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu thanked the former minister for his service. Ramatlhodi had served “with absolute distinction and dedication”. The party was confident he would continue serving the movement in other capacities, he said.