Is Cyril Ramaphosa thinking about making changes to the Cabinet? This week, the President is said to be thinking about what to do, and one minister is now in a very tough spot. It’s also known that a provincial leader could QUIT his job and join the top leaders.
Will there be a reshuffle of the cabinet?
According to Sunday World, Enoch Godongwana’s future is uncertain. South Africa’s Finance Minister has been accused of sexually assaulting a masseuse, and it’s thought that this recently-appointed Cabinet member is already a sitting duck. Godongwana could leave his job soon, which would leave a big hole for Ramaphosa to fill in a Cabinet Reshuffle. According to “credible whispers” going around on Sunday, the current Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, *could* be invited into Cyril’s inner circle.
Makhura is a strong supporter of Ramaphosa, and it is thought that having him in Cabinet could give the ANC leader more power as he runs for a second term. This would leave the province with the most people in South Africa without a leader.
Who was going to come in and who was going to leave?
If Makhura were to take a job in the national government, Panyaza Lesufi is thought to be the most likely person to run Gauteng. He is the favorite to win the premiership, and it may only take “a few weeks” for that to happen.
There are, of course, a lot of moving parts.
Since Godongwana is still in charge, the chain doesn’t really move forward. But an ANC NEC meeting WILL happen soon to talk about the scandal that is engulfing the minister right now. He might lose his job before the Mid-Term Budget Speech in October.
Godongwana, Makhura, and Lesufi are all involved in the latest cabinet shuffle.
There is no guarantee that Makhura will go into finance right away. If Godongwana was fired, Ramaphosa could put another minister in charge of the fiscal portfolio. This would give Makhura the chance to take over a completely different department.
Mr. Lesufi is another one. His time as Gauteng’s Education MEC was controversial, so not everyone will be happy to hear that he may be moving up in the ranks. Since there are still a lot of things to decide, South Africa might have to wait before there is another Cabinet Reshuffle.