There will be some expected casualties in the new Cabinet reshuffle following the 55th National Elective Conference to reelect President Cyril Ramaphosa for a second term held in Johannesburg over the weekend, according to press reports on Tuesday.
Ramaphosa won 2,476 votes for the ANC presidency, beating his rival and former health minister, Zweli Mkhize, who managed to get 1,897 votes for the highly coveted post.
Ramaphosa is expected to make some changes to his Cabinet following his victory on Monday and his allies said he did not want to work with those who were not “in his corner” during the bruising battle for the presidency, the reports said.
Those in Ramaphosa’s inner circle wanted those who voted against him at the conference in Johannesburg to be given the boot, the reports added.
Ramaphosa’s success at the conference saw his four of his allies being elected to the party’s Top 7 positions. These are former ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile, who made a return to the top, this time as Ramaphosa’s deputy.
Gwede Mantashe will remain the party’s national chairperson, while Fikile Mbalula, another Ramaphosa ally, has been elected ANC secretary-general.
“We are going to clean that cabinet. There is no way the president can work with (Tourism Minister) Lindiwe (Sisulu) and NDZ (Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs),” one ally said.
“We are aware that they were already designing their cabinet in the event Zweli (Mkhize) emerges,” he added.
Dlamini-Zuma contested against Ramaphosa, but failed to make the cut. She was one of five ANC lawmakers who voted against the party directive and supported the adoption of a report into the Phala Phala scandal.
NM/as/APA