Cabinet: The time for shuffling is over

The announcement that President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to name his new Cabinet tonight is an anti-climax after two months of waiting.

A self-proclaimed creature of procedure, Ramaphosa was never going to move quickly, no matter how high the flames reached as SA burned.

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That one time Ramphosa surprised us

We knew he was going to consult widely, and he did. Ramaphosa did surprise us with a national state of disaster at his State Of the Nation Address (Sona) recently.

That said, the idea was first mooted by the Democratic Alliance in November last year, even if it was in a different format, so the president has been chewing the cud on that one too.

It may be too soon to expect a decision on his mooted minister of electricity. Sona was only a few weeks ago, but we will be happy to be surprised.

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New Cabinet?

As for the ‘new” Cabinet, will it simply be a regurgitation of the old rogue’s gallery or will we see fresh faces untainted by scandal?

Will he exercise his powers to appoint people from outside Cabinet? And will he protect them from political interference and not leave them to the wolves as he did with fired Eskom CEO André de Ruyter?

We know the minister of electricity will fall under Ramaphosa’s shadow, but will it be enough, with Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe calling the position that of a ‘project manager?”

Perhaps now the ANC has made good on its promise to bring charges against De Ruyter for bringing its ‘good name” into disrepute, the coy ex-CEO can finally open his mouth and, as the young ’uns like to say, bring the receipts.

De Ruyter has kept quiet for far too long. His political correctness and vague inferences have been irritating at the very least. Ironically, Ramaphosa and De Ruyter are in the same boat.

It is time to put up, or shut up.

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