No minister is safe from Ramaphosa’s mooted Cabinet reshuffle – report

Amid growing calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to reshuffle his Cabinet, it is being reported that the president could soon make an announcement about the reshuffle, and no ministers are safe from getting the chop.

Ramaphosa reportedly told the ANC’s powerful national executive committee (NWC) – which met on Monday – that he wanted heads to roll for the recent civil unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, the Business Day reported on Wednesday.

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ANC insiders who attended the meeting told the paper that Ramaphosa believed there should be “accountability” and “consequence management” for the riots that led to the deaths of more than 300 people and caused massive economic damage.

The unrest followed the incarceration of former president Jacob Zuma for being in contempt of the Constitutional Court.

Ramaphosa has already admitted to the nation that government was slow to respond to the violence, and ministers serving in the security clusters have made contradictory statements about the attempted insurrection, leading to calls for their axing.

Added to this, Ramaphosa is facing pressure to fire suspended Health Minister Zweli Mkhize after the Special Investigating Unit’s (SIU’s) damning findings against him.

This followed the unit’s investigation into the controversial R150 million contract awarded by the national Department of Health to Digital Vibes – a company owned by Mkhize’s associates.

‘No one is safe’

Business Day also reported that no ministers are safe from getting fired based on Ramaphosa’s comments during the NWC meeting.

“This puts the security cluster in the firing line, with more than one minister set to go,” the paper reported.

The Cabinet reshuffle has reportedly been postponed twice in the past four months, with the suspension of ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule and the SIU investigation into Digital Vibes getting in the way of the president’s announcement.

Last week, Ramaphosa insisted that evaluating the performance of his executive team was an ongoing process.

“As I said, the process of people who are deployed to work with any leader even in a Cabinet situation, it’s a process that you evaluate. It’s best to leave it there and it’s a process one does, as one evaluates everything and everyone that you work with,” he said.

Compiled by Thapelo Lekabe

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