Delay in Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle hints at ANC calling the shots

As President Cyril Ramaphosa mulls over who to appoint in his cabinet in the much-anticipated reshuffle, it is likely the country will continue “lurking from issue to issue” as the president “panders towards the African National Congress (ANC)”.

This is according to political analyst and the director of programmes at the Auwal Socio Economic Research Institute (ASRI), Ebrahim Fakir, who spoke to The Citizen.

Cabinet reshuffle

The Presidency said an imminent Cabinet reshuffle was not a move that could be rushed.

Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya announced at a media briefing on Wednesday that Ramaphosa will make changes to his executive within the coming days.

“It’s an exercise in a constitutionally empowered prerogative. The president has to apply his mind. The appointment of Cabinet members and the management of Cabinet, is not something that you can conduct in haste and do in a rush,” he said.

New Cabinet

Fakir said it will not make much of a difference who Ramaphosa appoints to his Cabinet.

“Unfortunately, it seems to me that as the country, irrespective of what appointments he makes, we’re going to continue lurking from issue to issue from thing to thing in the same haphazard, uncoordinated way that we have until now, so we will continue limping along.”

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ANC in charge

Fakir said this also means that ANC will start “calling the shots more and more”.

“People argued Ramaphosa will be much stronger in his second term, more decisive, push through an agenda. I don’t think that’s going to be the case. The ANC is going to prevail over him.

“Of course, he will be first to admit that if it weren’t for the ANC, he wouldn’t be in the position he’s in. So, every president has to take cognisance of what their party wants and how their party has put them there and for what responsibilities.

“The difference is, he came on, on the promise of saying he wants to reform the ANC, he will take civil society, business, labour and everyone else very seriously in the way which he will approach policy, so he’ll be much more consultative and inclusive,” Fakir said.

However, Fakir said Ramaphosa has always been “pandering to the ANC”.

“He’s put the ANC’s interests before the country’s interests. Had he chosen the country first in his first term, he would’ve helped both himself, the ANC and the country.”

No room to manoeuvre

Fakir added that Ramaphosa is in a very “invidious position” where he has very little room to manoeuvre.

“The ANC is going to pull rank, decide on strategic direction. And not to say that any president shouldn’t take their cue from the party, they should. But this is the same party that allowed state capture and corruption for nine years,” Fakir said.

Difficult decisions

On Wednesday, political analyst Ntsikelelo Breakfast told The Citizen that Ramaphosa was caught between a rock and a hard place – unsure who to fire and who to leave.

Breakfast said Ramaphosa might be wary of getting rid of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu because that would also jeopardise the ANC’s renewal project.

Breakfast described the situation as a “mess” and said Ramaphosa can’t make a decision that will upset his allies because they are crucial for his own political survival. The president also needs to keep some of his opponents in the Cabinet to unite the party and contribute to its renewal.

“The [radical economic transformation] elements have been weakened but they are still there and have not stopped the fight,” he said.

Additional reporting by Eric Naki

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