Explainer: Why President Ramaphosa held off on appointing his Cabinet
- Some analysts say Ramaphosa's delay in announcing his Cabinet is driven by his commitment to appoint scandal-free candidates to the posts
- They say this is why he waited for the integrity commission to clear David Mabuza's name rather than announcing his Cabinet immediately
- Others, however, have speculated that Mabuza has used the integrity commission as a political ploy to strengthen his position
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Despite being inaugurated over the weekend, President Ramaphosa has still not revealed his picks for his new Cabinet.
He has delayed the Cabinet announcement until later this week, making him the first democratic South African president not to announce his Cabinet the day after being inaugurated.
Some analysts say the reason for the delay is primarily because the ANC's integrity commission has raised concerns about some of the candidates, including David Mabuza.
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Additionally, the Public Protector has recommended that disciplinary action be taken against Pravin Gordhan, who had also been touted as a potential member of Ramaphosa's Cabinet.
Dirk Kotze, a professor of political science at UNISA, says that Ramaphosa's delay of his Cabinet announcement indicates his respect for pursuing an anti-corruption agenda, which includes removing compromised candidates from his Cabinet.
Indeed, Kotze says that Ramaphosa could not appoint any Cabinet members who faced allegations of wrongdoing.
Additionally, in Kotze's view, Ramaphosa's decision to delay the Cabinet announcement while Mabuza argued his case before the integrity commission indicates a respect for due process, according to eNCA.
However, following Mabuza's swearing-in on Tuesday as an MP, it seems he is once again in the running for the deputy-president position, Briefly.co.za has gathered.
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Others have suggested that this was a political ploy by Mabuza.
These analysts say that Mabuza has gained political capital as a result of this exercise because he can now point to the integrity commission's findings and say that his name has been cleared.
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Source: Briefly News
