Ramaphosa expected to hold off cabinet reshuffle until after budget

President Cyril Ramaphosa will hold off reshuffling his executive until after the presentation of the annual budget next week, according to ANC national working committee (NWC) members who were briefed on his plans on Monday.

Ramaphosa didn’t specify when the changes will be made, according to the NWC members who asked not to be identified because they aren’t authorised to comment.

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana is scheduled to table the budget in parliament on February 22. 

The public service and administration minister’s post hasn’t been filled permanently for almost a year, while the position of transport minister will soon become vacant, with incumbent Fikile Mbalula set to resign to take up a full-time post as ANC secretary-general. Ramaphosa also announced plans in his state of the nation address last week to appoint a new electricity minister in his office to tackle load-shedding. 

The NWC, which oversees the day to day running of the ANC, has “advised that the president should be provided the space to outline clear plans” to reconfigure the government to ensure it is more responsive and can deliver on its commitments, the party said. “The NWC expects these plans will be outlined from February.”

Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya declined to comment on the NWC's deliberations. 

The president needs to act speedily because confidence in his administration has been undermined by its handling of the electricity crisis, an NWC member said. 

He will have to take into account the personal dynamics between Pravin Gordhan, the public enterprises minister who oversees state power utility Eskom, and Gwede Mantashe, the energy minister and ANC chair who has overarching responsibility for power supply. The two have differed over how best to tackle load-shedding and the performance of outgoing Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter. 

Ramaphosa will also have to name a new deputy president, with incumbent David Mabuza having announced his intention to resign to make way for Paul Mashatile who replaced him as deputy ANC leader in December.

The president's allies have sought to persuade him to consider alternatives to Mashatile for the No 2 post because they consider him overly ambitious and are concerned he may seek to use the position to try to topple Ramaphosa before the end of his term, according to the NWC members 

One option being put to Ramaphosa is that he appoint Mashatile a minister and name a caretaker deputy until the 2024 elections, though there is no ANC precedent for such a move, they said.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg