Reshuffle ripples rumble on

Gauteng, Free State, North West at odds

President Jacob Zuma’s decision to reshuffle his cabinet last week has divided ANC provincial structures.

Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle saw South African Communist Party general-secretary Blade Nzimande fired as higher education and training minister.

The divisions in the ANC surfaced at the time party branches throughout the country are sitting to nominate their preferred leaders to lead the party.

Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle has left the ANC in Gauteng, which is backing Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa to be the next ANC leader, fuming.

Party provincial chairman Paul Mashatile, a known Zuma critic, on Monday said that the reshuffle created an impression of an unstable government.

“Changing ministers who have been in their posts for only seven months gives an impression to the nation that government is not working and may erode investor confidence,” Mashatile said.

This is contained in Mashatile’s political overview which Sowetan has seen.

Mashatile said the reshuffle would fuel tensions in the party and put unnecessary strain on the ANC-led alliance.

“It is our wish that the leadership conducts proper consultations so that any changes to the national executive contribute to strengthening its capacity to lead,” Mashatile said.

Yesterday, North West ANC secretary Dakota Legoete warned the ANC Gauteng leadership to stop talking ill of the ruling party.

“If they want the ANC to emerge in 2019 they must stop their negativity. We lost two metros in Gauteng because of them,” Legoete said.

The ANC in North West and Free State are supporting Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to succeed Zuma

Free State spokesman Thabo Meeko backed Zuma and said: “Anybody undermining his authority does not deserve a day in it [the state]. The president has the right to constitute his cabinet in the interest of servicing the citizens; we trust him with that responsibility.”