Africa-Press – South-Africa. While Police Minister Bheki Cele dismissed concerns about a looming reshuffle, saying Cabinet positions were not inherited, Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele says only President Cyril Ramaphosa knows when he will make changes to his executive.
At the same time, Gungubele defended former deputy president David Mabuza, saying it was inaccurate to describe his tenure as being forgettable.
Cele, who has been under fire for his performance, said he would not stop working because there was an expected Cabinet reshuffle.
The police minister, who was in violence-plagued Westbury in Johannesburg on Thursday morning, downplayed questions on whether he was worried about how changes in the executive might affect him when Ramaphosa finally reshuffles his Cabinet.
“Why do you cry at the wrong funeral? Don’t go and cry at the wrong funeral. If you want to know anything about reshuffling, you know the man to ask. He is in Mahlamba Ndlopfu or [the] Union Buildings as we speak,” Cele told journalists.
Pressed if he was worried, he answered: “Why should I be worried? Why should I be concerned? I was put here, I did not apply, I did not send any CV, and I did not ask why I am put [in this position], and I shall not ask why I am being removed.
“So why should I be worried? This is not inheritance. Akulona ilifa lakithi leli [This is not my family’s inheritance].
“This is a job; you do the job when you are given [it], and when the job is taken and given to someone else you go on with life. So, you think I can stop working and be worried … heyi, akukhona estokveleni la, kuyasetyenzwa la [this is not a stokvel, we are working here].”
On Tuesday, News24 reported Ramaphosa was considering redeploying Cele as the new intelligence minister when he announces changes to his Cabinet.
The push for Cele to head intelligence comes amid a spike in violent crimes and a staggering backlog in DNA results hampering criminal cases.
He has also been accused of going to war with senior members of police management, accusations he has publicly denied.
On Thursday, Gungubele reiterated only Ramaphosa knew when changes would be made to his Cabinet and was giving the matter the urgency it deserved.
He said, on questions relating to the reshuffle, “only the president knows the date and time when it will happen”.
Gungubele, who was giving feedback on resolutions taken during Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, also took the opportunity to defend Mabuza.
This comes after Mabuza resigned as an MP on Wednesday, effectively vacating his position as the country’s second-in-command.
“Deputy president Mabuza served with distinction in his contribution to rebuilding the country; the people of South Africa will forever remember him,” Gungubele told journalists in a post-Cabinet briefing on Thursday.
He said the Cabinet joined Ramaphosa in thanking Mabuza “for his exceptional services to the country over the past five years”.
“The minister in the presidency, who was giving a briefing on the outcomes of the Cabinet meeting convened on Wednesday, reiterated that it was misleading to label Mabuza as a non-existent deputy president.”
Gungubele argued “deputy President Mabuza was allocated tasks by the president and fulfilled them”.
“Whether it be in his capacity as the chairperson of the South African National Aids Council or his capacity as chairperson of the inter-ministerial task team geared towards addressing the challenges faced by traditional authorities and even his role in the Eskom task team, Mabuza, in terms of the records in front of the president, the deputy president did fulfil his duties.”
He was also quick to add under Ramaphosa’s administration, which Mabuza had been a part of, the country’s economy grew by 2.5% last year, among other achievements that Mabuza could be credited for.
On Wednesday, Parliament and the Presidency announced Mabuza had resigned as an MP, ending his tenure as deputy president, which was characterised by long periods of absenteeism while he sought medical treatment and seemingly stayed clear of the public eye.
His exit from Cabinet and other already existing vacancies have placed pressure on Ramaphosa to announce changes to his executive.
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