President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delay in announcing a Cabinet reshuffle may be due to his difficulty in sifting through the best of the ANC riff-raff that he himself created as a former party leader deployer. They have no choice but to be the best people, experts say. One expert said the delay could be due to the president trying to find new talent to deliver, including from outside the ANC. No suitable candidate Independent political analyst Sandile Swana says Ramaphosa has not completed negotiations within the ANC on who should…
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s delay in announcing a Cabinet reshuffle may be due to his difficulty in sifting through the best of the ANC riff-raff that he himself created as a former party leader deployer. They have no choice but to be the best people, experts say.
One expert said the delay could be due to the president trying to find new talent to deliver, including from outside the ANC.
There are no suitable candidates
Independent political analyst Sandile Swana says Ramaphosa has not yet completed negotiations within the ANC on who to appoint to Cabinet because there are no suitable candidates.
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“Getting the best possible Cabinet from the ANC rabble is always going to be difficult,” Swana said.
The expert pointed to the fact that, as the deputy of former president Jacob Zuma, Ramaphosa chaired the party’s deployment committee.
Ramaphosa’s cabinet ‘indecisive’
Another analyst, Daniel Silke, said the delay did not help the president because it reinforced accusations that he was not convinced. He lost the opportunity to announce the new Cabinet before his state of the nation address.
Silke said Ramaphosa is trying to balance the executive with a mix of different formations in the tripartite alliance and is trying to find skilled people with credibility.
Also read: Cabinet reshuffle: The President has a tough job
“The delay does not look good. It will confirm the suspicion that there is difficulty in finding the right talent,” he said.
Swana rejected the ANC’s practice that the vice-president automatically becomes the country’s vice-president because there is no party unity on the matter.
“I’m not sure if everyone thinks vice-president Paul Mashatile is finished. Ramaphosa may be wary,” Swana said.
He said the delay in the reshuffle announcement could be due to possible behind-the-scenes negotiations. On the delayed appointment of the electricity minister, the analyst said it was not Ramaphosa’s decision, but an idea brought in from outside.
Also read: Cabinet reshuffle: Ramaphosa may ‘sacrifice’ good ministers for political survival
“This three-way split of the energy sector may come from another quarter – even from big business that doesn’t want it [Energy Minister] Gwede Mantashe,” he said.
– ericn@citizen.co.za