Ramaphosa’s Simelane reshuffle a ‘calculated move’ – MK party says

The uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party said the reshuffling of Minister Thembi Simelane from her position as head of the Justice Ministry to Human Settlements minister is not about ensuring a “more effective cabinet”.

Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet making four changes to the executive.

Without further details, the Presidency announced the executive changes on Tuesday night saying they are effective immediately.

‘Calculated move’

The MK party’s has condemned the reshuffling of Simelane.

Spokesperson Nhlamulo Ndhlela said the reshuffling is not about ensuring a more effective cabinet

“It is a calculated move to silence a principled leader who refuses to align with Mr Ramaphosa’s factional and self-serving agenda. At the heart of this reshuffle is Minister Simelane’s courageous stance against renewing Advocate Shamila Batohi’s term as National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP).

“Under Batohi’s leadership, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has repeatedly failed to deliver justice in cases related to the so-called State Capture. This is because South African courts rely on concrete evidence — not gossip, innuendo, or politically motivated accusations — to secure convictions,” Ndhlela said.

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‘True intentions’

Ndhlela said Ramaphosa’s decision to remove Simelane reveals his “true intentions”.

“Consolidating control over the justice system while shielding his administration from scrutiny. This is the same Mr Ramaphosa who has yet to account for his own unresolved scandals, including the Phala Phala affair and questionable campaign financing.”

Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has also condemned the cabinet reshuffle saying it is yet “another pointless exercise that will do nothing to address the suffering of the people of South Africa.”

“This unnecessary musical chairs of corrupt and incompetent ministers and deputy ministers is a blatant misdirection of resources that could be used to deliver basic services such as water, sanitation, healthcare, and education.

“The appointment of individuals with dark clouds hanging over them, such as Thembi Simelane, despite unresolved allegations of corruption linked to VBS Bank, is a clear indication that this reshuffle is not about service delivery or good governance,” the red berets said.

‘Short-sighted’

The Democratic Alliance (DA) earlier said Ramaphosa’s decision to redeploy Simelane to minister of Human Settlements was “short-sighted and disrespectful to South Africa.”

“Simelane does not belong in Cabinet, end of story. Human Settlements is a vital department for providing housing to South Africans. It must be led by a credible individual,” DA spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach said.

VBS Bank scandal

Ramaphosa’s decision to reshuffle Simelane comes as Simelane allegedly took a R575,600 “commercial loan” from Gundo Wealth Solutions, a company that brokered unlawful investments of R349 million into the now defunct VBS Mutual Bank by the Polokwane Municipality.

Gundo Wealth Solutions is owned by Ralliom Razwinane.

Razwinane is currently on trial for fraud, corruption and money laundering for his role as a commission agent connecting municipalities with VBS.

Simelane used the commercial loan from Gundo Wealth Solutions, owned by Ralliom Razwinane, to purchase a coffee shop in Sandton.

She vehemently denied wrongdoing, asserting that she handled everything transparently and repaid the loan in full.

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