Cape Town – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has hinted at a possible “Cabinet reconfiguration” amid calls for him to axe some ministers in order to “restore the nation’s trust”, media reports say.
“I have said that clearly the deployment of people in various parts in government is a matter that occupies the mind of a president at all times. That is what I am applying my mind to. I know there is a lot of anxiety and impatience and it is a matter that is under consideration. What I would say is watch this space,” News24 quoted Ramaphosa as saying during his visit to vaccination sites in Thembisa and Midrand on Thursday.
The president has been under pressure to fire some members of the cabinet, particularly the ministers in the security cluster following the recent unrest in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng.
Police minister Bheki Cele, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Minister of State Security Ayanda Dlodlo have been criticised by many over the way they handled the violence and looting that took place in the two provinces.
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According to Times Live, Ramaphosa labelled the mayhem as an insurrection. However, Cele and Dlodlo contradicted each other on an intelligence report, while Mapisa-Nqakula told the country the unrest could not be described as an insurrection.
“From now on, the government is going to communicate with one voice… We have basically said, let’s stop the squabbling in public,” the report quoted Ramaphosa as saying.
A cloud also hung over suspended Health Minister Zweli Mkhize amid the Digital Vibes saga, EWN reported.
Ramaphosa admitted that the government was ill-prepared for the unrest.
“With the mayhem that broke out, the security cluster was ill-prepared. We have conceded that. I am also evaluating everything else and it’s best to leave it there,” Ramaphosa said.
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The recent riots cost 330 lives and caused R50 billion in damage to property and infrastructure.
The unrest followed protests triggered by the jailing of ex-president Jacob Zuma, who was handed a 15-month jail term for snubbing a corruption investigation.
Zuma, whose home province is KZN, commands support among loyalists in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), who portray him as a champion of the poor.
Mobs of people rampaged through shops and warehouses in KZN and Johannesburg in the worst violence since the end of apartheid.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
Additional reporting by AFP
