Big plans for Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle

President Cyril Ramaphosa has finalised consultations with high-ranking political allies regarding the imminent Cabinet reshuffle.

The City Press reported that the ANC-backed president met with one of the largest unions in South Africa, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), and the South African Communist Party (SACP) this weekend.

Sizwe Pamala, the spokesperson for Cosatu, confirmed the meeting between Ramaphosa and the general secretary of the union, Solly Phetoe.

Pamala said there was indeed a one-on-one meeting between Phetoe and the president – but he is not privy to the discussions.

Sources have told the publication that the new Cabinet will be announced soon.

Since his state of the nation address earlier this month, Ramaphosa has been making a concerted effort to meet with alliance partners.

Previous meetings have primarily focused on the current performance of Cabinet, and a handful of recommendations were made regarding who to put where, reported the City Press.

Confirmed positions that need replacements include:

• The transport minister, Fikile Mbalula, is now ANC secretary general, a full-time position;
• The public services and administration minister, a position that has been vacant for a couple of years;
• The deputy president, after David Mabuza, announced his resignation; and
• The new minister of electricity announced by Ramaphosa during his State of the Nation Address.
• The tourism portfolio and CoGTA (Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs) are also potentially subject to change.

This is because the current tourism minister, Lindiwe Sisulu, is becoming increasingly politically hostile, and the CoGTA minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, went against the party and voted with opposition parties to initiate an impeachment process against Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa is currently considering whether to fill the vacant posts and two deputy minister roles or make significant changes to his executive.

Mbalula is set to resign before the end of next month, with the ANC guiding him on the exact timing. The details of the changes to the executive will depend on whether it will be a complete cabinet reshuffle or just a minor adjustment.

The new meetings come days after top ANC officials voiced their concern over how long the process was taking with constant delays in the reshuffle.

Separate reports from both the City Press and the Sunday Times pointed to a growing impatience among the ruling party.

Source : Business Tech