EFF statement on the cabinet reshuffle by Cyril Ramaphosa

7 March 2023

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has noted the cabinet reshuffle by the constitutionally compromised President of South Africa, who has decided to recycle his cabinet and add more Ministries in what is a pretense of resolving the various crises facing South Africa.

Ramaphosa's re-organised cabinet is nothing but an exercise in ensuring that those who formed part of his factional warfare in the lead up to his re-election as the ANC President are rewarded through patronage, meaning he has utilised positions in the cabinet as a means to repay his political debts.

Khumbudzo Ntshaveni has led the Communications and Digital Technologies Department to its knees, and has been at the centre of an exclusionary and prolonged digital migration for broadcast and radio in South Africa. Under her stewardship, the South African Post Office (SAPO) has failed to compete with emerging private sector business in the courier and communications space, and over 6000 workers are set to be retrenched.

There has been absolutely no transformation in the advertising and marketing sector and the South African Broadcasting Co-operation (SABC) is approaching 5-months without a board.

Her incompetence has now been rewarded with a position which will see her preside over the intelligence services of a country that is faced with rising levels of violent crime, frequent mass-shootings and a nation that has been identified as a haven for the financing of terrorist activity. The appointment is purely factional and has nothing to do with competency or ability.

Mondli Gungubele has for years exhibited a unique ability to speak and say nothing, and has been awarded with the Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies because of the central role he played in preventing the resignation of Cyril Ramaphosa. There is no verifiable justification for Gungubele to be given a role in such a critical sector except crude factionalism, and South Africa's role in the Communications space will degenerate further as it will be led by a pretentious and incapable individual.

Kgosientsho Ramakgopa, who has been given the responsibility of the Minister of Electricity is not only redundant, as there is a Minister for Energy and Public Enterprises respectively, it is an appointment of an individual who failed dismally as the Mayor of the City of Tshwane.

Ramaphosa has shown his cowardice in that he has registered a motion of no confidence in both Gwede Mantashe and Pravin Gordhan, and instead of removing them he has chosen to appoint a third person to pretend to resolve the crippling energy crisis in South Africa. This affirms that Ramaphosa uses cabinet positions as a means to manage the factional warfare within the ANC and secure his personal interests.

Ramagkopa is going to be used as nothing but a lapdog to ensure the implementation of the Western-imposed 'Just Transition', in which South Africa will be an experiment in the exclusive use of renewable energy for generation of electricity, and the destruction of coal power stations.

The cabinet reshuffle confirmed that Ramaphosa's Presidency is one where mediocrity is encouraged and awarded and there is nothing that will change in the lives of South Africans.

Bheki Cele remains a Minister of Police even though violent crime has spiralled out of control, Thulas Nxesi remains the Minister of Labour even though almost 12 million people are unemployed in South Africa. Blade Nzimande, who has presided over massive protests for almost a decade, in demand for more access to higher education remains a Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology.

All of these individuals are verified failures, yet they are retained as Ministers.

The EFF reiterates its call for the immediate resignation of Cyril Ramaphosa, if there is to be any genuine overhaul in the governance of South Africa. Ramaphosa has betrayed his own commitment of cutting down cabinet to spare the coffers of South Africa from paying for the lifestyles of useless Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

The 20th of March 2023 is an opportunity for all South Africans to show Ramaphosa that his meaningless reshuffle will have no impact on the lives of ordinary people, and it is only his resignation that will steer our nation forward.

Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, 7 March 2023