Former presidential minister in charge of women, youth, and people with disabilities. Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has resigned from an MP.
She is the first of a few ministers and deputy ministers who are anticipated to quit after being removed from the cabinet.
Instead of becoming backbenchers in parliament, those dismissed from President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet are anticipated to retire in order to cash in substantial pension payouts and loss-of-office perks of millions.
Before being appointed to the presidency in 2019, Nkoana-Mashabane held many ministerial roles in foreign relations, rural development, and land reform.
She has been in parliament since the early 2010s and stands to lose millions in pension payments and other office-related benefits.
She was a known supporter of previous President Jacob Zuma, but Ramaphosa kept her in his cabinet when he took office, relocating her from rural development and land reform in his first cabinet reshuffle in 2019.
Nkoana-Mashabane was not elected to the ANC’s sought-after national executive committee (NEC) during last year’s national conference. She had been a part of the organisation since the Polokwane conference in 2007.
On Wednesday morning, ANC caucus chief whip Pemmy Majodina announced Nkoana-resignation. Mashabane’s
She chose to retire after originally agreeing to be redeployed to a portfolio committee with her colleagues who were fired from the executive, including former sports minister Nathi Mthethwa and former deputy ministers Thembi Siweya and Phumulo Masualle.
Lindiwe Sisulu, the former tourism minister, warned Majodina that she should not be redeployed since she planned to resign.
According to TimesLIVE, Sisulu alerted the ANC parliamentary office of her decision to leave but had not yet delivered her resignation letter.
“I contacted all members who were relieved from cabinet to allocate them committees but comrade Lindi Sisulu said I must not allocate her a portfolio committee because she was resigning and I will get her resignation letter on March 13 2023,” Majodina said yesterday.
“I’ve not received the letter. I reminded her this morning.”
