President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced executive reforms, including the creation of two new departments.
At a twice-delayed speech to the nation on Monday (6 March), the president announced the appointment of Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the country’s new minister of electricity.
He also announced that Maropene Ramokgopa will be named as minister for planning, monitoring, and evaluation, a new ministry under the presidency.
The president acknowledged that a second new minister increases the number of executives in his cabinet, but he stated that ministries will be decreased in the future.
Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was widely rumoured to be the president’s preferred choice for power minister.
Ramokgopa joined the Presidency as the Chief of the Investment and Infrastructure Office in 2019.
From 2010 until 2016, he was also the Executive Mayor of Tshwane.
He was also the CEO of the Metropolitan Trading Corporation and the Johannesburg Market.
He holds a Doctorate in Public Affairs, master’s degrees in corporate leadership and public administration, as well as a civil engineering degree.
The minister’s job is to decrease the frequency of load shedding as soon as possible and to manage the entire response. He will be in charge of the Energy Action Plan, and the president will delegate some authorities to him.
The minister will stay in office until the problem is resolved. It is a “transitory” ministry, according to Ramaphosa.
The primary task of the new Minister will be to significantly reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency.
To effectively oversee the electricity crisis response, the appointed Minister will have political responsibility, authority and control over all critical aspects of the Energy Action Plan.
This will help to deal with the challenge of fragmentation of responsibility across various departments and Ministers which, while appropriate under normal circumstances, is not conducive to a crisis response.
The Minister will be expected to facilitate the coordination of the numerous departments and entities involved in the crisis response, work with the Eskom leadership to turn around the performance of existing power stations, and accelerate the procurement of new generation capacity.
To enable the Minister to do this work, I will, in terms of section 97 of the Constitution, transfer to them certain powers and functions contained in relevant legislation.
Other significant changes
Paul Mashatile has also been sworn in as South Africa’s new Vice President, succeeding David Mabuza, who resigned as an MP last week.
Mashatile was elected Vice President of the ANC during the party’s 55th elective conference in December last year, defeating Ramaphosa’s preferred deputy, Oscar Mabuyane, by a margin of 2,178 votes to 1,858.
Sindisiwe Chikunga was appointed Minister of Transport when Fikile Mbalula was elected ANC Secretary General, a full-time job in Luthuli House. Chikunga was previously the portfolio’s deputy minister.
Also, Noxolo Kiviet has been appointed as the new Minister of Public Service and Administration.
Former Minister Ayanda Dlodlo was selected as an Executive Director on the World Bank’s board in the United States last year, with Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi filling in on an interim basis. Kiviet was once a portfolio deputy minister.
Additional changes include:
- Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs: Thembi Nkadimeng replaces Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
- Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure: Sihle Zikalala replaces Patricia de Lille
- Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture: Zizi Kodwa replaces Nathi Mthethwa
- Minister of Tourism: Patricia de Lille replaces Lindiwe Sisulu
- Minister of Women, Youth and Persons With Disabilities: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma replaces Maite Nkoana-Mashabane
- Minister in the Presidency: Khumbudzo Ntshavheni replaces Mondli Gungubele
- Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies: Mondli Gungubele replaces Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Aside from ministers being moved about, new appointments, and promotions, just three ministers (who did not quit) lost their posts in the cabinet: Nathi Mthethwa, Lindiwe Sisulu, and Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
The president also made modifications to the positions of deputy ministers. These are the following:
- Deputy Ministers in the Presidency: Nomasonto Motaung and Kenneth Morolong
- Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities: Sisisi Tolashe
- Deputy Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation: Pinky Kekana
- Two Deputy Ministers for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs: Parks Tau and Zolile Burns-Ncamashe
- Two Deputy Ministers for Water and Sanitation: David Mahlobo and Judith Tshabalala
- Deputy Minister of Public Works: Bernice Swarts
- Deputy Minister of Small Business Development: Dipuo Peters
- Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises: Obed Bapela
- Deputy Minister of Transport: Lisa Mangcu
