South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He has reshuffled the cabinet
to bring reformers to several key ministries while axing graft-tainted
allies of ex-leader Jacob Zuma. AFP PHOTO | PHILL MAGAKOE
South Africa's new President Cyril Ramaphosa has reshuffled the
cabinet to bring reformers to
several key ministries while axing graft-tainted allies of ex-leader Jacob Zuma.
several key ministries while axing graft-tainted allies of ex-leader Jacob Zuma.
Here are short profiles of some of the key ministers:
Deputy President: David Mabuza, 57
A
provincial leader until last week, Mabuza was thrust into national
politics when he was elected in December as the ruling African National
Congress party's second most powerful official.
The
controversial politician, a former schoolteacher nicknamed "The Cat",
has a reputation as a hardliner and an astute political strategist.
Opponents
routinely accuse him of having his own private "military" which is
allegedly linked to political intimidation and even killings.
Finance Minister: Nhlanhla Nene, 59
Respected
among investors and business leaders, Nene served as finance minister
for 18 months until he was dramatically sacked by Zuma in December 2015.
His dismissal caused the markets and the rand currency to tumble.
He went on to hold a board-level position at the Allan Gray fund management company.
Public Enterprises: Pravin Gordhan, 68
A
pharmacist by training, he was finance minister from 2009 until 2014
and again from 2015 until 2017 when he was fired by Zuma in a purge of
rivals and critics.
He was controversially investigated
over an alleged team of rogue taxmen at the country's revenue
collection agency which he previously headed.
Softly-spoken
and measured in public yet tough behind the scenes, Gordhan earned an
international reputation for fiscal prudence and for being a bulwark
against government corruption.
He will be expected to
root-out graft and waste at state-owned businesses like troubled
electricity monopoly Eskom and embattled South African Airways.
Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 69
Ex-wife
of scandal-plagued Zuma, Dlamini-Zuma is a veteran politician and an
experienced technocrat who has served as a minister under every
president since the end of white minority rule in 1994.
She
is one of the most experienced ministers of the post-apartheid era
having held the home affairs, health and foreign affairs portfolios.
She was also chair of the African Union Commission until last year. She narrowly lost to Ramaphosa in the race to lead the ANC.
Home Affairs: Malusi Gigaba, 46
One
of the few younger ministers in the cabinet, Gigaba is one of the only
perceived Zuma allies to have survived Monday night's reshuffle which
claimed the scalps of at least 10 ministers seen as loyal to the former
leader.
They, like Gigaba, were seen as being connected
to the Guptas, a controversial and wealthy Indian immigrant family
alleged to have been at the centre of government corruption in South
Africa.
Gigaba was shifted from the finance ministry where he had been for just under a year.
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