Former minister Ramatlhodi quits as MP

Former public service and administration minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi announced on Wednesday that he would no longer be a member of parliament.

He said after his axing that he was relieved to learn President Jacob Zuma had removed him from his Cabinet, saying the country was now at a crossroads.

The ANC Chief Whip confirmed the resignation on Twitter and thanked Ramatlhodi for his “selfless service to the movement as a public representative”.

“Comrade Ramathlodi has expressed his gratitude to the people of South Africa‚ the leadership and membership of the ANC as well as colleagues in Parliament for the confidence they have bestowed in him over the years of his membership in parliament,” the ANC said.

Ramatlhodi follows former minister of energy Tina Joemat-Pettersson, former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, and former transport minister Dipuo Peters out of parliament.

He was axed in last month’s late-night Cabinet reshuffle along with four other ministers and two deputies – and said he found out about his axing on Friday morning just like everyone else without being given reasons for why he had been fired, but he did not take offence.

“I’m relieved. I think we’re at a crossroads, and I hope to keep in mind the interests of the country,” he said.

Ramatlhodi said he would go back into business, and he was considering leaving parliament to focus on his role as a member of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC).

He was previously the minister for mineral resources before he was reshuffled by Zuma to public service and administration in 2015. Then Free State economic development MEC Mosebenzi Zwane, a known ally of Zuma, replaced him as mining minister.