President Cyril Ramaphosa paying tribute to the late Mozambican President Samora Machel. Photo: Cyril Ramaphosa / Twitter
President Cyril Ramaphosa paying tribute to the late Mozambican President Samora Machel. Photo: Cyril Ramaphosa / Twitter
President Cyril Ramaphosa has refused to rule out a possible Cabinet reshuffle in the near future, after he was questioned about the performance of certain ministers on Thursday. The 68-year-old kept his cards close to his chest, but ultimately, he maintained that it is ‘the prerogative of the president’ to make changes.
Cyril Ramaphosa takes questions from the media
Ramaphosa was speaking during a rare engagement with the media. Cyril has been fiercely criticised for failing to interact with journalists throughout most of the pandemic, but he pitched up after delivering his Budget Vote response in Parliament. Predictably, the president was met by a barrage of intense questioning.
The main focus of the press event soon switched to Zweli Mkhize. The Health Minister is in a lot of trouble at the moment, after his involvement in a dodgy R150 million COVID contract came to light last month. Ramaphosa did concede that ‘things keep surfacing’ in the Digital Vibes probe, and he vowed to ensure the minister would be held accountable:
“Mkhize is cooperating fully. Things keep surfacing about his son, and monies that have been paid. I will enable this investigation to proceed. The SIU is on the top of their game. I know people want it to be done YESTERDAY. They want me to be decisive, but I want to be careful in this process. I am not outsourcing my morality to these forces.”
Will there be a Cabinet reshuffle in South Africa?
Should Mkhize need to vacate his position, a Cabinet reshuffle would become an inevitability. The head of state was probed further about this possibility – and hinted that the matter is something that’s already on his mind…
“Changes to Cabinet? Yes, I know you would want to know when is a Cabinet reshuffle happening, or whether I am satisfied with the performance of certain ministers, or if if should I change this one or that one… to answer all of those questions, all I can say is that changes to the Cabinet are the prerogative of the president.” | Cyril Ramaphosa
