Ramaphosa considering ‘ Cabinet recon iguration’

J OHANNESBURG Presi dent Cyril Ramaphosa said a possible ‘ reconfiguration’ of his cabinet is under consideration as the country i ntensifies i t s vaccination rollout programme.

He made the remark while addressi ng j ournalists at Thembisa after conducting a COVID19 vaccination site inspection yesterday.

Deploy

“The issue of reconfiguring a cabi net i s an ongoing consideration by any president. You look at how you deploy the people who you are working with and how you place t h o s e p e o p l e t o e x e c u t e v a r i o u s tasks, so it is an ongoing process of evaluation and all that. So it’s not something that we would say it’s a process that is outlandish, we continue to look at it,” he said.

Pressure

The president has been under pressure t o replace some members of the cabinet to restore the nation’s trust. The calls come in light of the recent unrest which gripped parts of KwaZuluNatal and Gauteng and seemingly contradictory statements made by some ministers — includi n g p o l i c e mini s t e r Bheki Cel e , minister of defence and military veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula and minister of state security Ayanda Dlodlo.

At the weekend, The Sunday Times reported that a major shake- up of the country’s security cluster — including the axing of ministers — was on the cards after the government’s poor handling of t he r ecent r i ots that cost 330 lives and caused R50 billion in damage to property and infrastructure.

Looting

On suspended health minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, who faces serious allegations of wrongdoing involving the alleged looting of State funds by his close associate in a R150 million contract awarded to Digital Vibes, Ramaphosa said he was yet to make a pronouncement.

“I have received the SIU report and there is some finalisation of certain aspects which we’re going to get. I am looking at it so allow me the time and space to look at that.”