A media advisory from the presidency earlier announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa would be announcing changes to Cabinet at 8.30pm at the Union Buildings. Presidency spokesperson Tyrone Seale, however, said that “Ramaphosa needs more time”, and the announcement had been delayed by one hour.
It was then delayed by another half an hour, to 10pm.
You can watch the announcement live in the feed below:
Analysts have interpreted this as a sign that Ramaphosa may be facing internal resistance in the party before making his announcement.
The presidency has explained that “last-minute consultations” still need to take place.
Ramaphosa will not be taking questions.
Speculation has been rife over recent days about who will join him as his deputy president, with ANC deputy president David Mabuza reportedly saying he is available. It has been reported that Mabuza, Nhlanhla Nene and Zweli Mkhize are set to be sworn in as MPs tomorrow, suggesting that Mabuza will be the deputy, while Mkhize has already been mentioned as a possible finance minister, having previously been the ANC’s treasurer-general, though most expect the position to go back to a tried-and-tested minister such as Pravin Gordhan or Nene.
Others will also be sworn in as MPs, including Regina Muhlaule, Nathi Nhleko, Peggy Nkonyeni and Alvin Botes.
It’s widely understood that Ramaphosa will shrink the size of his costly executive, which ballooned to 73 officials after being at 50 under Thabo Mbeki.
Ramaphosa has been lauded since his election as ANC president for insisting on good timekeeping. This is the first major event that he has not been able to stay punctual on.
Analyst Professor Ivan Sarakinsky described the delay as a sign that Ramaphosa may be forced to accept a compromise and the new Cabinet would not be the “new dawn” the president has promised but rather a “last-minute, cobbled-together compromise” that would expose Ramaphosa as a weak leader. Another analyst, Prince Mashele, also said it looked like a bad sign.
However, Angelo Fick said the reason for the delay could be less sinister, as his team may still be trying to phone new appointments or “people could just be stuck in traffic”.
For his part, Police Minister Fikile Mbalula has tweeted that he’s already packed his bags.
