Has ‘The Cat’ run out of his many lives?

The ANC is discussing David “The Cat” Mabuza's future as the country's deputy president after he was not elected as the party's deputy president at its 55th national elective conference last month.

The matter is so high up on the agenda that it is among the first issues to be dealt with by the newly elected ANC top brass. Mabuza declined nomination from the floor at the conference for another term as deputy president. 

He is likely to know his fate in the next two weeks, according to the ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula.

This as President Cyril Ramaphosa is under pressure to reshuffle his cabinet after Mabuza was replaced as the party’s deputy president by Paul Mashatile, who is now expected  to to take over from Mabuza.

Mashatile previously indicated that he was not opposed to the idea of joining the government.

Ramaphosa is also being pushed to replace ministers who contested against him for the ANC presidency and lost, including Lindiwe Sisulu and Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The imminent cabinet reshuffle is also expected to fill the post left by Ayanda Dlodlo at the department of public service and administration, where Thulas Nxesi, another December conference NEC casualty, has been acting.

Mbalula told the media at the second leg of the party’s national conference in Mangaung, Bloemfontein, on Thursday that the ANC leadership would make a decision on Mabuza’s fate soon.

“What I can tell you is that we are seized with these matters [deliberating on whether to reshuffle the cabinet or not]. In the next two weeks, not five years, we will be able to give you an answer,” he said.

“The president is also looking at the issue of replacements in cabinet. So after conference we will be hard at work restructuring.”

Ramaphosa told the ANC Women’s League event on Wednesday he would ensure there was 50% women representation in his cabinet.

Mabuza has been known for his strategic political moves, chief among them his machinations at the 2017 national conference. Going to that conference, Mabuza was joined at the hip with then presidential candidate Dlamini-Zuma, but he shook up the political landscape when he made a sudden U-turn at the conference floor and “delivered” Ramaphosa instead.

Many feel his political career that is seemingly coming to an end is a surprise, given his notorious cunning moves, even during his time as a strongman in his home province, Mpumalanga.  

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