Cabinet reshuffle: More women, but not more young leaders

Amid calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to appoint more young people to his Cabinet, it still lacks youthful leaders. But he has appointed more women.

Ramaphosa announced the changes to the national executive on Thursday with Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Dr Nobuhle Nkabane being the youngest at 42 years old and Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform Zoleka Capa, at 69 still the oldest member of Cabinet. The average age is 58.

Overall there are 29 men and 33 women in the newly reshuffled Cabinet.

Parliament’s national executive has 13 women, of whom seven are unchanged from the previous Cabinet and eight men, with four unchanged.

There were 29 women and 27 men in the previous Cabinet. Capa was the oldest member and the then deputy minister of small business development Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane as the youngest member as the then minister of tourism and acting minister of health.

Ministers and deputy ministers who were reshuffled in Cabinet included Minister of Tourism Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of Small Business Development Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Obed Bapela.

New deputy ministers included Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng, Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Nkabane, Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration Dr Chana Pilane-Majake and Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for State Security Zizi Kodwa.

Ramaphosa said the former minister of defence and military veterans would take up a new position.

“Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula would be deployed to a new position,” he noted.

Ramaphosa also announced the appointment of an expert panel to lead a review of the government’s preparedness and shortcomings in its response.

The members of the panel were Professor Sandy Africa as chair, advocate Mojanku Gumbi and Silumko Sokupa.