It’s constitutional and statutory criteria that set the process and pace, regardless of the political noise and hype over a Cabinet reshuffle. And no matter what a political party would prefer — yes, even the governing ANC — it’s not about leaks, public statements or writing letters.
The push for President Cyril Ramaphosa to reshuffle his Cabinet came hot on the heels of his second-term confirmation as ANC boss at the party’s 2022 elective congress at Nasrec.
Speculation rapidly emerged around the possible replacement of his deputy in government — David “DD” Mabuza — according to proclaimed ANC tradition, with Paul Mashatile, who had taken over the ANC deputy presidency.
The pitfall? ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile is not a member of Parliament. And the Constitution, in Section 91(3)(a), says that he has to be to get into the government’s deputy president post.
That necessitates a complex set of moves, from MPs resigning, to open vacancies on the ANC parliamentary benches, to getting publicly elected candidates lists amended in provincial legislatures.
Where in the process is the Ramaphosa ANC & administration?
Various letters have been written to various organisations in the political landscape, as political parties rule the roost in South Africa’s electoral system.
The Gauteng ANC, on the public record, produced such correspondence, with the KwaZulu-Natal ANC going a step further. The province’s premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, was effectively told to expect her cooperative governance MEC’s resignation, according to a KZN ANC statement on 30 January, stating “it has discussed and accepted the resignation of Cde Sihle Zikalala. This follows the redeployment to the National Assembly by the ANC Luthuli House.”
Crucially, effective from 31 January, the ANC benches in the National Assembly had two vacancies.
“Parliament confirms the resignations of Mr Tshilidzi Munyai and Mr Mervyn Dirks as members of the National Assembly. The Speaker has wished both well in their future endeavours,” tweeted Parliament spokesperson Moloto Mothapo on Monday.
Both the timing and the names are important, given the annual rejig of public representative candidates lists in terms of Schedule 1A of the Electoral Act.
Dirks’ resignation opens a vacancy on the KwaZulu-Natal to national list that, on public record, seems earmarked for Zikalala. Munyai’s resignation opens a vacancy on the Gauteng list — and that’s how Mashatile will get to Parliament as an MP and be available to be appointed through a Cabinet reshuffle as South Africa’s deputy president.
Party lists reviewed
Regardless of party political missives, the statutory requirement ...