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Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took office 11 days ago, has reshuffled cabinet Monday as he draws a line under his graft-tainted predecessor Jacob Zuma.
Ramaphosa announced his new ministers in a televised address from the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the seat of the presidency. He named David Mabuza as new Vice President and re-appointed Nhlanhla Nene, who was sacked by Jacob Zuma, as finance minister.
“In making these changes, I have been conscious of the need to balance continuity and stability with the need for renewal, economic recovery and accelerated transformation,” Ramaphosa stated.
Ramaphosa announced 30 changes to minister and deputy minister positions after graft-tainted Zuma was forced to resign by the ruling ANC party earlier this month.
The line-up will be closely watched as an indication of whether Ramaphosa has wrestled full control of the ruling ANC party from Zuma, some of whose allies have been accused of involvement in state corruption.
South Africa grappled with weak growth, ballooning national debt, depressed investor confidence and record unemployment during Zuma’s nine-year tenure.
“All the new ministers and deputies will be sworn in tomorrow in Cape Town. The others will be sworn in on other days during the week once they fulfill in the parliamentary requirements,” said Ramaphosa.
Dlamini-Zuma was seen as Zuma’s favoured candidate to succeed him as president, with analysts saying she may have shielded him from prosecution over corruption charges.
Nene’s return to the finance ministry was a clear repudiation of Zuma’s reign, and will be warmly welcomed by many businesses and international investors.
In December 2015, Zuma sacked the widely-respected Nene and replaced him with a little-known lawmaker, triggering panic among investors and a sharp drop in the rand currency.
Just four days later, Pravin Gordhan was appointed to the role to calm the markets.
– Corruption allegations –
The chaos was seen as reflecting Zuma’s failure to implement a consistent economic policy — and a sign of the allegedly corrupt influence of the Gupta business family, who were reported to oppose Nene.
“A business-friendly cabinet reshuffle is counter-balanced by the retention of Zuma-era appointees,” economic analyst Daniel Silke said on Twitter, describing it as “a partial cleansing of the Zuma-era rot.”
“Ramaphosa’s narrow December victory prevents a reshuffle many South Africans would’ve preferred,” he added.
During Zuma’s nine-year tenure, South Africa grappled with weak growth, ballooning national debt, depressed investor confidence and record unemployment.
Ramaphosa has pledged “a new dawn” for the country and to tackle the corruption that Zuma is accused of fostering.
Amid falling popularity with voters, the African National Congress (ANC) party — which was led to power in 1994 by Nelson Mandela — had threatened to oust Zuma via a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Zuma resigned reluctantly, complaining he had received “very unfair” treatment from the party.
