Presidency dogged by 10 cabinet reshuffles, firings, controversies
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has made 10 cabinet reshuffles outside of his two term starts since he was elected South African president in May 2009.
He has been accused of settling political scores by removing ministers and deputies. He oversees a national executive of 74 people.
He has made 126 changes to his executive since 2009. These included 62 changes of ministers and 63 of deputy ministers.
His executive has 35 ministers, 37 deputy ministers, himself and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa – who is his political party’s boss.
Zuma’s first national executive lasted for 13 months, his second one year and the third eight months.
His fourth only existed for five months, the fifth 10 months and sixth 11 months. The seventh executive, put in place as part of his new term in May 2014, lasted 18 months. The eighth lasted two months, the ninth five days and the 10th 16 months. His 11th cabinet lasted four months. Former president Thabo Mbeki had 28 ministers and 20 deputy ministers.
By the end of his second term, Mbeki still had 11 of his ministers in his cabinet.By the end of his second term, Mbeki still had 11 of his ministers in his cabinet.
The late former president Nelson Mandela had 17 ministers and 13 deputy ministers. Zuma’s 74-strong national executive is by far the largest since the dawn of democracy. Zuma moved 53 of his original 64-person national executive and of those 53, 39 are no longer part of the national executive. This includes former ally SACP general secretary Blade Nzimande, fired by Zuma in his last reshuffle in October. Nzimande publicly criticised him.
>http://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/politics/zexit/2018/02/15/swift-action-needed-stop-sas-downward-growth-spiral/Former public service and administration minister Ngoako Ramatlodi was fired by Zuma during a late night cabinet reshuffle in March. He claimed in media reports he had not been given a reason for his axing. However, Ramatlodi said he did not take offence and was relieved to be out of Zuma’s cabinet. Most notable in the reshuffles was when former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene was replaced by little-known Des van Rooyen. Zuma lied to the country and said Nene would be heading the African Regional Centre of the Brics Bank. Markets reacted to the news with the Public Investment Corporation conceding it had lost R99-billion on the markets over two days.
The Unemployment Insurance Fund lost R7-billion and the Compensation Fund lost R3-billion as a result. After five days, Zuma took Van Rooyen from the Treasury and made him Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister. He put Pravin Gordhan in his place. Another reshuffle saw Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas recalled from an international investment tour to be axed.
Jonas had spoken out about being approached by the Gupta brothers, who offered him a job as finance minister and R600-million.
When the duo was fired, the axing had been circulating in the rumour mill for a while. Zuma used a fake intelligence report as the basis for firing the two. Along the journey of the ANC under Zuma’s presidency, some of the people who were close to him and who propelled him to power, became his most vocal critics. This began when ex-president Kgalema Motlanthe contested Zuma for the ANC’s top job in 2012.
>http://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/politics/2018/02/15/zuma-gone-political-parties-civil-groups-celebrate/KZN and the Eastern Cape successfully campaigned for Ramaphosa to become Zuma’s deputy. Ramaphosa might just prove to be Zuma's nightmare.
EFF party leader and former ANCYL president Julius Malema once said he was willing to take up arms and kill for Zuma. But Malema has now become Zuma’s headache in parliament, and once before he has tried to prevent Zuma from delivering the State of the Nation Address. Malema wanted Zuma to pay back the money he illegitimately used in upgrades of his Nkandla private home.
He has apologised to the nation for supporting Zuma at the 2007 Polokwane ANC conference.
Malema is not the only one to have apologised to Mbeki and the nation. Another formerly staunch Zuma supporter, former Cosatu general-secretary and now general- secretary of SA Federation of Trade Unions Zwelinzima Vavi, is a strong Zuma critic. He has come out in public to say they were misled into thinking Mbeki was using the police to frustrate Zuma's political career.
zolilem@tisoblackstar.co.za, Additional reporting BDLive