Who will Ramaphosa appoint as his deputy?
JOHANNESBURG. - The ANC Top Six was meeting yesterday as speculation rose about who will be appointed the country’s deputy president.
It’s been over a week since President Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as the country’s head of state.
But President Ramaphosa has not made a decision of who will be his second in command.
There have been a number of names that have speculated as possible deputy president appointee, such as Human Settlement Minister Lindiwe Sisulu and ANC Deputy President David Mabuza, who is still the Premier of Mpumalanga.
Business Day reported last week that Mabuza was set to resign as Premier this week to focus on the ANC. This opened the door for his possible deployment to the presidency.
What is certain is that a Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards. President Ramphosa had said that he would make a decision soon.
ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule confirmed on Sunday following an National Executive Committee meeting that the issue of the Cabinet reshuffle would be handled with urgency.
“On the issue of Cabinet (appointments), it is always a prerogative of the president in or after consultation with the national officials. Tomorrow [Monday] we have a simple, normal officials meeting,” Magashule told journalists in Pretoria at the conclusion of a special ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting.
Opposition parties and civil society have been expressing their unhappiness with a number of ministers that they believe should sacked.
Some of them include Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, Water Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and Social Development Minster Bathabile Dlamini.
Some of these ministers have been linked to allegations of state capture, while others like Dlamini have been singled out by opposition for incompetence.