Controversial track records lurk behind new Limpopo cabinet
Provincial Government spokesperson Ndavhe Ramakuela defended Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba's decision following the announcement of MEC's for the seventh administration.
POLOKWANE – Several newly appointed members of the provincial cabinet are already facing backlash due to their controversial track records.
This comes after Premier Dr Phophi Ramathuba announced the new Members of the Executive Council (MECs) for the seventh administration.
Among the reshuffled officials, Florence Radzilani moved from Transport and Community Safety to Social Development, while Basikopo Makamu and Mavhungu Lerule-Ramakhanya retained their positions in Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs, and Education, respectively.
The DA has been particularly vocal in its criticism.
Provincial leader Lindy Wilson expressed skepticism about the reappointment of Makamu, whose department was previously found by the South African Human Rights Commission to have violated water quality standards.
Additionally, several municipalities under his purview have been declared incompetent.
Wilson remarked, “I did not expect Ramathuba to appoint a cabinet with ‘skeletons in the closet,’ but it also did not surprise me. Birds of the same feather flock together, and her cabinet shows that she has picked her position because she does not have the cleanest record herself, considering the Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment corruption saga happened under her watch.”
The reappointment of Florence Radzilani, implicated in the VBS corruption scandal, has also drawn heavy criticism.
“Radzilani was called out on the VBS heist in an ongoing investigation, but she is now managing a critical portfolio with a large budget,” the DA stated.
The Conty Lebepe Foundation, a non-profit advocacy group, expressed alarm over the reemergence of Kgabo Mahoai as Treasury MEC. Mahoai, the former acting director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), was dismissed in 2021 following irregular expenditure of R118m on a failed land acquisition in New York.
Provincial Government spokesperson Ndavhe Ramakuela defended Ramathuba’s decision, noting that Mahoai is challenging his dismissal at the CCMA and the Labour Court.
“The premier is convinced that since Mr Mahoai has not been charged for corruption or criminally charged, there is nothing in the law that prevents his appointment to the executive council,” Ramakuela stated.
