Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has given the strongest indication yet that the Cabinet reshuffle is imminent after he bade farewell to his deputy David Mabuza.
Ramaphosa confirmed on Thursday that Mabuza had expressed his wish to leave government.
He said he was attending to his request.
This comes after Mabuza told mourners in Mpumalanga, a few weeks ago, that he had resigned from the position to allow ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile to take over.
But Ramaphosa asked him to stay on until all transition processes have been finalised.
During his reply to the debate on the State of the Nation Address on Thursday Ramaphosa said he had worked well with Mabuza over the past five years.
Mabuza was appointed deputy president in 2018 after he became ANC deputy president.
Ramaphosa also laid bare the responsibilities of the incoming deputy president when he spelt out some of the work Mabuza has done in the past five years.
Mabuza had among other things been involved in peace negotiations in Africa and chairing the South African National Aids Council.
“As I conclude, I wish to extend my appreciation to Deputy President David Mabuza for his unwavering support over the last five years. He has ably led the South African National Aids Council and extensive engagements with military veterans and traditional leaders. He has supported peace building efforts in South Sudan and led processes around land reform, among other things. Deputy President Mabuza has indicated his wish to step down from his position, a request that we are attending to,” said Ramaphosa.
A few days ago Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president was applying his mind on members of his Cabinet.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Current Affairs