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Pressure mounting for Ramaphosa to consider cabinet re-shuffle

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Pressure is mounting for the ANC and President Cyril Ramaphosa to consider a cabinet re-shuffle as soon as possible.

Opposition parties have been vocal about the need to fire all the ministers implicated in the State of Capture report by former Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela.

It’s not clear whether this and other issues involving members of the executive will be discussed during the ANC National Executive Committee meeting this weekend in Pretoria.

African National Congress (ANC) officials will this weekend attend a special National Executive Committee meeting, a third in a month.

This comes amid a lot of pressure from political parties for President Cyril Ramaphosa to act swiftly and fire all the incompetent ministers in cabinet.

The Democratic Alliance has lodged a complaint against Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba with the Public Protector based on findings made against him by the North Gauteng High Court in the matter involving Fireblade Aviation.

In December, the High Court ruled that the minister was in breach of the Constitution when he denied approving a terminal proposed by the Oppenheimer Family- owned Fireblade Aviation.

But, Gigaba has refuted as “false” claims by the DA.

“They are within their as opposition parties to position, to grand stand, do whatever that they feel they have to do. They may reject me as the Finance Minister, but they have been rejected by the public to be the ruling party.”

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe says this weekend’s NEC meeting will focus on implementing resolutions taken during the 54th elective conference in December.

He says a report by Public Protector Busisiwe Mkwebane implicating Public Enterprises Minster Lynne Brown are matters under the stewardship of the president and not the NEC.

Mabe says: “As it relates to members of the executive and pronouncements of various reports and all of that, I’m sure that there are rules of engagement there on how the executive deals with their own issues.”

On the other hand, Political Analyst Ralph Mathekga says the ANC is fast heading into a crisis mode once more because it is again taking too long to sort out its internal leadership matters.

Mathekga says the ANC has long been aware that it will need to appoint a deputy president fast – but he believes that nothing has been done in that front.

Mathekga says this could easily lead to a crisis in the state itself.

“It’s not a good way to go, although they end up resolving the problems, it is better for them to always have a long term strategy on dealing with these things so that they don’t appear to be just improvising and not being aware of what needs to be done on a long term.”

Mabe has refuted the views by Ralph Mathekga, saying the ruling party is not at all in crisis.

He says consultations are underway at an executive level to pave a way forward on what will be the next step in making sure that there is a smooth transition of power within the movement and government.

For now South Africa continues to operate without a deputy president, which might hamper Parliamentary processes.

This as opposition parties are scheduled for a question and answer session on some of the matters that came up during the State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa.

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