Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president at a dramatic first sitting of the National Assembly in which several prominent ANC candidates pulled out of parliament as the first signs of his government emerged.
ANC deputy president David Mabuza asked to "postpone" his swearing-in so that he could clear his name after the party’s integrity commission listed him among several prospective MPs who may have brought the ANC into disrepute. He is said to have made the decision voluntarily.
Ramaphosa made the announcement shortly before the first sitting of the sixth parliament on Wednesday.
The intrigue behind this decision is still not quite clear and now opens up speculation about who Ramaphosa will be appointing as his deputy in government. Names being touted are Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, whom he narrowly beat to the position of ANC president in 2017, and long-serving minister Naledi Pandor.
Ramaphosa is expected to announce his reconfigured executive after his inauguration at the weekend.
Ramaphosa told the National Assembly that there would be "tough leadership".
"I assure you, as we address the needs of people we will take difficult decisions and some might be tough decisions against certain people and interest groups. Our people yearn for change, and change is what we are going to offer them."
Mabuza was the first candidate to step aside, citing the integrity commission report.
SA’s rand and bonds gained in the immediate aftermath as some traders interpreted the developments as a signal that Ramaphosa was making progress towards meeting his pledge to use his victory to clean up government and create a more effective state. The currency was flat at R14.3879/$ by 6.45pm on Wednesday, having earlier appreciated 0.4%.
The ANC deputy president has been connected to allegations of fraud and corruption in Mpumalanga, the province he led for almost a decade. There were also allegations that he was behind the numerous political killings in the province.
Erstwhile environmental affairs minister Nomvula Mokonyane at the 11th hour also took the decision to withdraw from the list, citing family responsibility and the fact that she was still in mourning following her husband’s death in April.
She was on the list of people that the integrity commission had reportedly named as having possibly brought the ANC into disrepute and was accused in the state capture commission
of inquiry of taking bribes from facilities management company Bosasa.
Disgraced former finance minister Malusi Gigaba and former National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete withdrew from the candidate list on Tuesday.
MPs who served as ministers in the previous administration and who believe they will not be reappointed have an interest in resigning before the new executive is appointed as this enables them to hold on to their ministerial pension, which is substantially higher than an MP’s salary.
Mabuza has not completely withdrawn from the list but asked to have his swearing-in postponed so that he can engage with the commission on the allegations against him.
A close confidant of Mabuza said that the integrity commission had not called him before it, and therefore he had been unable to clear his name. "What he has done now has raised the bar," said the confidant.
Staff in Mabuza’s office confirmed this, saying he was seeking an opportunity to respond to the issues raised by the commission.
Integrity commission chair George Mashamba said that the commission was asked to review the ANC candidate list, but it had not spoken with anyone. The commission would meet with those mentioned in the report from Sunday, he said.
Mabuza, who had arrived to sit in the president’s bay at the National Assembly on Wednesday, would not say anything more about his decision except to confirm that his swearing-in had been postponed.
"I think the president has said a word, and we should take it that way," he said.
Another ANC MP who has been named in ethical or possible legal transgressions, Bathabile Dlamini, did not withdraw and was sworn in, along with former ministers Mosebenzi Zwane and Faith Muthambi, both of whom have been implicated in state capture claims.
Finance minister Tito Mboweni, who arrived an hour late, had MPs speculating on whether he had changed his mind about returning to parliament.
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