New Cabinet announced tonight
SOUTH Africa will have a new national executive tonight.
Yesterday, presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said a Cabinet reshuffle has been scheduled for 7pm, weeks after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the establishment of a new ministry of electricity during his State of the Nation Address.
Magwenya said the president had to take account of a few processes.
These include consultations with the governing party and considering the parliamentary process of swearing-in new members of Parliament while others resigned.
A few Cabinet posts need to be filled, including the electricity portfolio and the public service ministry, which has remained vacant since its former minister, Ayanda Dlodlo, was deployed elsewhere.
It was widely reported that Ramaphosa was due to announce the reconfiguration of his executive last Thursday, but this was refuted by Magwenya.
“Having exercised his (Ramaphosa’s) constitutional prerogative, the president will announce the new national executive at 7pm tomorrow (tonight),” Magwenya said.
The Cabinet reshuffle will end weeks of speculation as to who will be in Ramaphosa’s team and who will be booted from the Cabinet.
Among those that were sworn in last month and likely to make the cut into Ramaphosa’s executive are ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile, who will likely be appointed deputy president, replacing David Mabuza who resigned as an MP last week.
Former Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau, former KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala, and new ANC second deputy secretary Maropene Ramokgopa were also sworn in.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana was the latest to be sworn in as an MP last week, paving the way for him to retain his position.
Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula is expected to resign to take up his fulltime ANC secretary-general post.
Others who face the axe are Minister for Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu and Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Zuma, who voted with the opposition to start processes of impeachment against Ramaphosa involving his Phala Phala matter.
On Friday as expectation mounted, Mbalula said Ramaphosa had caught flu after a trip to Uganda last week, before he was controversially seen at an auction dinner that same night.
Magwenya explained that the president made a brief stop at the dinner – to greet guests – but “did not stay for the auction as his cold persisted and required that he should rest”.