The much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa has been pushed back again, this time by a further 30 minutes. The announcement will now take place at 20h30.
Presidential Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says President Ramaphosa has nothing to worry about regarding the Phala Phala scandal as investigations currently under way will determine the outcome in due course. This, in a wake of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) finding that there is no record that Hazim Mustafa, the Sudanese businessman who paid 580 000 US dollars in cash to Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala farm, declared the money he had brought into the country in December 2019.
The debate around the burglary at the farm, belonging to the president continues to rage on following findings that the money that was stolen during a burglary at the game farm in 2020 was not declared to the South African Revenue Service (Sars) when it arrived in the country.
Magwenya says the Sars report is not a blow to the president’s credibility
Update at 19h31…
All eyes will be on President Cyril Ramaphosa in an hour when he announces the new members of his executive. The big one is that of Paul Mashatile, who will be officially appointed the country’s new deputy president following the resignation of David Mabuza last month.
The president can appoint at least two people whom are not members parliament to his executive with the minister of electricity not likely to be a member of parliament.
The briefing was initially meant to begin at 7pm but has since been moved to 8pm.
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The current ministers and their deputies are anxious as President Ramaphosa is set to change his executive.
Independent Political Analyst Dr Ralph Mathekga says the nation is expecting a new cabinet with a sense of purpose and that will boost and inspire investor confidence.
After receiving the highest number of votes for the ANC NEC, Sihle Zikalala is expected to get a ministerial position.
But ministers such as Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Lindiwe Sisulu and Deputy Phumulo Masusalle are in the firing line for being the fiercest critics of the president heading to the governing party’s national conference.
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