President Cyril Ramaphosa Appoints Angie Motshekga To Act, SA Quizzes: “What Happened to Mashatile?”

• Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga has been appointed as Acting President for Saturday, 17 August
• The Presidency said in a statement that President Cyril Ramaphosa made the appointment while on a working visit to Zimbabwe
• South Africans had a loud reaction to the development, with the Acting President assignment not a first for Motshekga

TSHWANE — President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga to serve as Acting President.

The Presidency said in a statement on Saturday that Motshekga would take over the reins while Ramaphosa was away on 17 August.

Ramaphosa appoints Angie Motshekga to act

"The appointment [follows] the President’s Working Visit to Harare, Zimbabwe, today. [The President] is attending the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Community."

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The Presidency did not explain why Deputy President Paul Mashatile was not appointed instead. It's not the first time Ramaphosa has appointed Motshekga as Acting President.

The same ask came on 2 July 2021 when the former travelled to Lusaka, Zambia, to attend the State Funeral Service for the late President Kenneth Kaunda.

South Africans offer up mixed reactions

The development sparked a flood of questions on social media from South Africans on social media. Invariably, locals wondered about the apparent preference for Motshekga as a choice.

Some locals interrogated Ramaphosa's trust in Motshekga, while others resorted to trolling the government leaders.

Briefly News looks at the reactions.

@MeshackBevhula wrote:

"The trust that Ramaphosa has in Angie needs to be studied in Damelin College."

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@eliotchauke1 said:

"Why do we have Paul Mashatile, then?"

@MeshackBevhula reacted:

"[This is one] way of saying, 'I don't trust Paul Mashatile' without actually saying it."

@EsonasihleM quizzed:

"Why do y'all think he decided to choose Angie?"

@Jabu_Macdonald joked:

"I will fight anyone who think ms she doesn’t deserve this position."

Ramaphosa pleased with GNU ministers' enthusiasm

In related news, Briefly News reported that the Government of National Unity's (GNU) ministers fell on Ramaphosa's good side, who was unafraid to show them appreciation.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya updated the media on the president's activities for the week, including visiting Angola.

Source: Briefly News