President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa said on Tuesday it was time to consider the make-up of his cabinet, amid growing speculation about whether Finance Minister Gigaba would keep his job.
Ramaphosa was sworn in as head of state on Thursday after his scandal-plagued predecessor, Jacob Zuma, reluctantly resigned on orders of the ruling African National Congress ( ANC ) after nine years in office blighted by corruption, economic mismanagement and disputed appointments.
In his first state of nation address on Friday, Ramaphosa strongly hinted at a cabinet shake-up when he said he would review the make-up and size of government departments.
Investors are watching closely to see if Gigaba, who is due to deliver the budget speech on Wednesday, keeps his job.
“This is the time to walk, to reflect even about cabinet and all that,” he told reporters on television news channel eNCA during his walk, in response to a question on whether there was still time to shake up his cabinet ahead of the budget speech.
“I’ll be walking maybe three times a week, walking with our people,” he said. “I want my tummy to fall, so I‘m going to continue walking.”
At a separate event in Cape Town, Gigaba declined to comment when asked by reporters about the speculation over his job.
However, his deputy Sfiso Buthelezi, who sat next to his boss, said Gigaba would deliver the budget on Wednesday.
“The question that is being asked of the minister, if he is going to present the budget. That is why we are here.
“There is a budget that is going to be presented tomorrow and it is going to be presented by nobody else but Malusi Gigaba,” Buthelezi said.
On Friday, Ramaphosa delivered a message of optimism and renewal Friday in his first state of the nation address, saying it’s time for South Africans to put discord behind them and that the country will “turn the tide” on corruption in state institutions this year.
Ramaphosa’s address capped a dramatic week in which he was elected by ruling party lawmakers following the resignation of predecessor Jacob Zuma, whose tenure was marked by corruption scandals.
Zuma was supposed to give the speech on Thursday, but it was postponed because of the leadership crisis that fueled uncertainty and anxiety in the country of 57 million people.
“We should put behind us the era of diminishing trust in public institutions and weakened confidence in our country’s public leaders,” said Ramaphosa, who was Zuma’s deputy before becoming South Africa’s fifth president since the end of white minority rule in 1994.
“A new dawn is upon us,” he said in a speech in parliament that drew applause but was criticized by the opposition as short on meaningful solutions.
Ramaphosa, 65, faces the hard task of rooting out corruption that flourished in both state enterprises and the private sector under Zuma, implicating figures in the ruling African National Congress party that he now leads.
In addition, he must tackle sluggish economic growth, high unemployment and economic inequality that are among South Africa’s most deep-rooted problems.
The new president said his administration would concentrate on creating jobs and attracting investment, while also possibly downsizing bloated government departments and restructuring state-owned enterprises that are inefficient and prone to corruption.
“This is the year in which we will turn the tide on corruption in our public institutions.
“The criminal justice institutions have been taking initiatives that will enable us to deal effectively with corruption,” Ramaphosa said.
South African authorities want to arrest a key member of the Gupta business family accused of using its links to Zuma to influence Cabinet ministers and secure state contracts.
The suspect, Ajay Gupta, is considered a fugitive after failing to turn himself in, according to police.
Eight people, including a member of the Gupta family, have already been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged corruption involving the Guptas, who deny any wrongdoing.
The family is a flashpoint for national anger over “state capture,” the term used by South Africans to describe an allegedly wide-ranging effort to loot state enterprises under Zuma.
Ramaphosa said he supports the work of a judicial commission that is about to investigate the phenomenon, but one opposition leader said the new president would have to turn on his own political party if he is serious about fighting graft.
Reuters/NAN
