Deputy minister of trade, industry & competition Zuko Godlimpi has been appointed as the head of the ANC’s economic transformation committee as the party reconfigures its deployments within its committees and across all provinces.
Godlimpi, the youngest member of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), replaces justice minister Mmamoloko Kubayi, who has been appointed as convener of the NEC deployed in Limpopo, where the ANC enjoys the lion’s share of voter support.
The economic transformation committee chair is one of the most strategic positions in the NEC committees and has been traditionally reserved for individuals who also serve in government within the economic cluster.
The decisions of the economic transformation committee have previously informed the ANC’s policies in government. The committee also relies on professionals who share the party’s vision and values to provide technical expertise and support to politicians. These professionals are often assembled to serve as the technical backbone for the politicians, helping to inform and shape policy decisions.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana had been the long-standing chair of the economic transformation committee before stepping down in 2022 ahead of Cyril Ramaphosa’s election to a second term as party president.
“The application of the rotational principle takes into account, among other [things], the recent government deployments following the 2024 national and provincial elections,” ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said.
Deputy minister of public works & infrastructure Sihle Zikalala will deputise for Godlimpi within the economic transformation committee.
Disagree
Kubayi was one of the ANC ministers who disagreed with the Treasury’s proposal to hike VAT from 15% to 17% during a prebudget cabinet meeting in February. The cabinet reached a deadlock, leading to the budget being postponed to March 12.
“After her transition to the justice ministry, she requested to be moved out of economic transformation committee, as actively participating in two critical and important subcommittees proved challenging,” Kubayi’s spokesperson Terrance Manase said.
Godlimpi’s election comes ahead of the ANC’s national general council, scheduled for the second quarter of 2025, at which the party will take stock of its policies. The council does not adopt policy, or elect leaders, but is a forum where factions can test the waters before the next elective conference.
Godlimpi is a first-time MP and was appointed within the department of trade, industry & competition in 2024 after the formation of the GNU. He was previously an adviser to Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane and an economic researcher in Ekurhuleni.
Other notable deployments announced by Mbalula include the reappointment of Wiphold CEO Gloria Serobe as part of the ANC’s finance committee.
The committee, led by the party’s treasurer-general, Gwen Ramokgopa, is responsible for the running of the ANC’s finances.
Serobe’s reappointment could signal the party is seeking more funding from the private sector, which has previously accused the party of implementing anti-business policies.
The Electoral Commission of SA’s latest report on political party funding shows that the ANC received R12m in donations, the most, followed by its GNU partner the DA.
Donors that contributed to the ANC included the Education and Training Unit, the Chancellor House Trust and Botho-Botho Commercial Enterprises.
