JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
South African President Cyril
Ramaphosa announced a Cabinet reshuffle late Monday, appointing a new deputy
president and several ministers.
“I have decided to appoint Mr.
Paul Mashatile as deputy president of the republic,” Ramaphosa said in a
televised address.
He replaces David Mabuza, who
resigned last month.
Mashatile, 61, also serves as
deputy president of the ruling African National Congress party (ANC).
Ramaphosa also introduced two
ministries, including that of electricity and the other for Planning,
Monitoring and Evaluation which will focus greater attention on the performance
of the government.
He appointed Kgosientsho
Ramokgopa as minister in the Presidency for electricity. He will now be
responsible for resolving the current electricity crisis facing the continent’s
most industrialized economy.
South Africa is facing its
worst electricity crisis in decades, with rolling blackouts of up to six hours
a day. Power utility Eskom, which generates over 90% of the country's
electricity, has been struggling to meet demand and implementing different
stages of outages for weeks.
Most of the output from the
utility's aging power plant array is coal-fired, with the facilities in need of
maintenance.
“The primary task of the new
minister will be to significantly reduce the severity and frequency of load
shedding (rolling power cuts) as a matter of urgency,” the South African leader
said.
Ramaphosa said the electricity
minister will be expected to facilitate the coordination of the numerous
departments and entities involved in the crisis response, including working
with Eskom’s leadership to turn around the performance of existing power stations
and accelerating the procurement of new generation capacity.
Other ministers appointed
include Khumbudzo Ntshavheni as the minister in the presidency. Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma is now a minister in the presidency responsible for Women, Youth
and Persons with Disabilities and Maropene Ramokgopa is a minister in the
Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
Mondli Gungubele is the
minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, while Thembi Nkadimeng is
the minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The Public Service and
Administration minister is Noxolo Kiviet, and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier
Sihle Zikalala is now the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. Several
deputy ministers have also been appointed.
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