Malema calls Mbalula’s axing, Gigaba’s retention ‘an insult to our intelligence’

EFF leader Julius Malema has been scathing about some aspects of last night’s Cabinet reshuffle, which saw ministers linked to alleged state capture such as Lynne Brown axed, while others with questionable track records also got the chop.

Surprisingly for many, Bathabile Dlamini was reshuffled to a less prominent portfolio, women, while Gigaba was allowed to stay in the executive – he sent back to home affairs.

At home affairs, however, Gigaba was accused of doing favours for the Gupta family and was recently found to have lied under oath in his court battle against the Oppenheimers’ aviation company. Question marks also hung over Gigaba during his tenure as minister of public enterprises.

Malema tweeted late on Monday night that, “To keep Gigaba and remove Mbalula is an insult to the intelegence [sic] of our people. Gigaba is the architect of state capture and @MbalulaFikile is not part of that nonsense but trust #NewDawn to appoint the captured into his cabinet.”

Mbalula was stoic about his axing and tweeted that he was “fine” despite it being painful. Mbalula famously opposed the fact that the Gupta family appeared to have advance knowledge of former president Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffles, and even appeared to have an improper say on who should be appointed and removed.

Both Gigaba and Mbalula have been presidents of the ANC Youth League, along with Malema.

Malema and the EFF have slammed Gigaba’s retention as a “direct rejection of the constitutional order”. However, they were happier about other appointments, particularly the return of Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister.