Tribute by the ANC NEC Representative, Minister Susan Shabangu during the memorial service for Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo. OR Tambo Building, Pretoria. 24/01/2019 Photo: DNSKatlholo Maifadi
Susan Shabangu becomes fourth ANC MP to resign from Parliament
A reason for her departure from Parliament was not tendered, but we have a few guesses.
Tribute by the ANC NEC Representative, Minister Susan Shabangu during the memorial service for Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo. OR Tambo Building, Pretoria. 24/01/2019 Photo: DNSKatlholo Maifadi
Former Minister of Social Development, Susan Shabangu, has tendered her resignation as an ANC Member of Parliament.
As reported by IOL News, Parliament announced that it has received and acknowledged Shabangu’s intentions to vacate her seat in the National Assembly as a representative of the ruling party.
Why is Susan Shabangu resigning?
When President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled his Executive Council for the sixth administration, Shabangu, who sported years of ministerial experience, was not included.
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In her place, Ramaphosa opted to go for a youthful Lindiwe Zulu. Although the reason for her decision has not yet been furnished, we were warned that, in the coming weeks, we would see a flurry of resignations from the ANC.
Is it linked to the integrity committee report?
It was not stated whether or not Shabangu was indeed one of the 23 party officials that were called to account by the integrity committee.
However, it has been reported that a revolt will take the next special national executive committee (NEC) meeting hostage.
Related: ANC top brass call for the disbandment of the integrity committee
The call is for the committee’s mandate to be stricken off and for every implicated member in its report to be exonerated of all allegations.
Furthermore, an insider close to secretary-general Ace Magashule had teased that the impending resignations “will not be on principle”.
“People are going to resign [from Parliament] but for other reasons [for pensions, redeployment and factions], not because the integrity committee said they must resign,” the anonymous source told the Sunday Times.
Shabangu joins three other MPs in ANC exodus
It appears that the source’s words have rung true because Shabangu, in a single week, has become the fourth ANC member to resign from Parliament.
Related: Jeff Radebe: South Africa’s longest serving minister says farewell
Nomaindia Mfeketo, the former Minister of Human Settlements, Dipuo Letsatsi-Duba who is the former Minister of State Security and former Energy Minister, Jeff Radebe have all submitted their letters of resignation to Parliament in the past week.
The party, in its upcoming special NEC meeting, will be expected to nominate replacements for the MPs as four seats in the National Assembly have become vacant.
