Drama as axe falls on Cele and host of big-name ANC cadres
Cape Town - A big Cabinet shake-up is on the cards following several ministers in Parliament getting the chop on the ANC’s list of candidates to serve in the 400-member National Assembly.
Police Minister Bheki Cele, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Public Service and Administration Noxolo Kiviet, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise and International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor are among those whose names did not appear on the list.
This comes after the ANC lost 71 seats in a dismal election performance.
The director of the School of Public Leadership at Stellenbosch University, Professor Zwelinzima Ndevu, said the ANC’s performance in the general election made it clear that there would be a huge shake-up in the National Assembly as they had a large number of members in the sitting.
Ndevu said some of the ministers or Members of Parliament were not effective enough.
“It was bound to happen that we would see new faces from different political parties in the Parliament sitting. I don’t think these changes will affect the operations of the National Assembly in the country,” Ndevu said.
On Wednesday, ActionSA president Herman Mashaba and national chairperson Michael Beaumont announced that they would step back from Parliament to focus on the growth of the party, while Athol Trollip, a former leader of the official opposition in Parliament, will represent them in the National Assembly.
Freedom Front Plus’s Wouter Wynand Wessels said: “The FF+ is confident that we have qualified and experienced representatives who will take up our seats in the National Assembly and the NCOP.”
Build One South Africa (Bosa) said it would be represented by Mmusi Maimane and Nobuntu-Hlazo Webster.
Gayton McKenzie’s Patriotic Alliance (PA), formed 14 years ago, made its parliamentary debut in May, receiving 330376 votes (2.06%).
Reacting to the results, McKenzie said: “Today PA is represented in local, provincial, and national government; we are a force to be reckoned with; no one is laughing anymore; the laugher didn’t stop me, and it should not stop you in your dreams.”
The National Coloured Congress (NCC), led by Fadiel Adams, will gain its first seat in the National Assembly, securing 0.23% of the national votes.
Writing on Facebook, Adams said: “We have proven that politics doesn’t need millions. Now we need to prove that small parties can stop corruption.”
After winning an outright majority in the Western Cape, the DA meanwhile remained mum yesterday as to who will be part of Alan Winde’s provincial cabinet.
Winde is expected to remain the premier of the province, along with Tertuis Simmers, who is the leader of the DA in the Western Cape and also the current MEC of Infrastructure.
Sharna Fernandez, the former Social Development MEC, retired earlier this year and left a vacant position that will need to be filled.
“The premier, like in 2019, will announce his cabinet within a day after all members are sworn in and he… has taken his oath as premier,” said Simmers.
Nationally, the ANC continued with coalition talks yesterday.
Ambrosé du Plessis, lecturer at the Department of Public Administration and Management, University of the Free State, said: “It remains to be seen how the ANC will deal with internal (ANC factions) and external (multi-party charter) enemies. With the latter’s public mission statement to unseat the ANC, we are already sitting on the brink of distrust.”
sibuliso.duba@inl.co.za, zolani.sinxo@inl.co.za