President Cyril Ramaphosa has reshuffled his cabinet, replacing David Mabuza as deputy president with ANC deputy leader Paul Mashatile and announcing Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as minister for electricity.
Ramokgopa, who was head of the presidency’s investment and infrastructure office, is now tasked with reducing the severity of load-shedding and ultimately ending the rolling blackouts.
This is Ramaphosa’s first reshuffle since his re-election as ANC president in December and comes ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections, where the governing ANC seeks to woo voters amid worsening electricity shortages, rising unemployment, rampant corruption, violent crime, and municipalities struggling to provide basic services.
Ramaphosa said the cabinet reshuffle is not about “overhauling the national executive”, because the changes “are intended to fill vacancies that have occurred in the executive and to direct government more effectively towards the areas that require urgent and decisive action”.
The changes are also aimed at bringing stability and continuity in the work of government, Ramaphosa said.
The primary task of the electricity minister is to reduce the severity and frequency of load-shedding “as a matter of urgency”, the president said.
“To effectively oversee the electricity crisis response, the appointed minister will have political responsibility, authority and control over all critical aspects of the Energy Action Plan. This will help to deal with the challenge of fragmentation of responsibility across various departments and ministers, which, while appropriate under normal circumstances, is not conducive to a crisis response,” the president said.
Ramokgopa has already mapped out his plan for the energy crisis, saying in a 37-page document, posted on his Linkedin page and circulating in government, that rolling power cuts are a crisis.
His appointment is the latest attempt by the government to solve a more than decade-old electricity supply problem that has highlighted the systemic importance of state-owned enterprises, and prompted the ANC to rethink its ideological stance on the role of the private sector in energy generation.
He will be expected to facilitate the co-ordination of the numerous departments and entities involved in the crisis response, work with the Eskom leadership to turn around the performance of existing power stations, and accelerate the procurement of new generation capacity, Ramaphosa said.
He announced during his state of the nation address that the energy crisis had been declared a national state of disaster to better respond to the electricity crisis and its social and economic impact.
“The minister in the presidency for electricity will remain in office only for as long as it is necessary to resolve the electricity crisis.”
Ramaphosa also appointed Khumbudzo Ntshavheni as a minister in the presidency and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as minister for women, youth & people with disabilities.
Maropene Ramokgopa, the ANC’s second deputy secretary-general, was appointed minister for planning, monitoring & evaluation, replacing Mondli Gungubele, who has been moved to the communications & digital technologies department as its political head.
Other cabinet appointments were Thembi Nkadimeng, replacing Dlamini Zuma as the minister of co-operative governance & traditional affairs.
Former Eastern Cape premier Noxolo Kiviet will fill the vacancy left by former minister of public service & administration, Ayanda Dlodlo, in 2022 when she left to join the World Bank.
Former KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala was appointed minister of public works & infrastructure. Zikalala, who was ANC KwaZulu-Natal chair until he was voted out in 2022, was recently removed from his position as premier and appointed MEC of co-operative governance in KwaZulu-Natal. He was elected to the ANC’s national executive committee in 2022, paving the way for him to be appointed as a member of Ramaphosa’s cabinet.
The deputy minister in the presidency responsible for state security, Zizi Kodwa, was appointed minister of sports, arts & culture, Patricia de Lille is the new minister for tourism and Sindisiwe Chikunga takes over as transport minister from ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula who stepped down from the role because the party’s constitution does not permit him to hold both roles.
The new deputy ministers include:
• Deputy ministers in the presidency Nomasonto Motaung and Kenneth Morolong;
• Deputy minister in the presidency responsible for women, youth & persons with disabilities Sisisi Tolashe; and
• Deputy minister in the presidency responsible for planning, monitoring & evaluation Pinky Kekana;
• Two deputy ministers for co-operative governance and traditional affairs: Parks Tau and Zolile Burns-Ncamashe;
• Two deputy ministers for water & sanitation, David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala;
• Deputy minister of public works Bernice Swarts;
• Deputy minister of small business development Dipuo Peters;
• Deputy minister of public enterprises Obed Bapela;
• Deputy minister of transport Lisa Mangcu.
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