Paul Mashatile: Cabinet Reshuffle and Appointment of Electricity Minister Expected Soon

Paul Mashatile, expected to be appointed South Africa’s deputy president, announced that a cabinet reshuffle is imminent. He revealed that President Cyril Ramaphosa plans to appoint an electricity minister within seven days to tackle the country’s load-shedding crisis as reported by News 24.

Speaking at the National Union of Mineworkers congress in Boksburg, Mashatile also mentioned that an ANC delegate, David Mabuza, had recently resigned as Deputy President. Mashatile confirmed that an electricity minister would be appointed soon but could not provide a specific timeframe.

In his speech, Mashatile defended the ANC’s stance on state-owned enterprises and their two-pronged approach to energy policy. He mentioned that while coal would still be considered an option, the party is exploring renewable energy sources.

He reiterated that the ANC remains committed to its Just Energy Transition plan and expects a competent CEO of Eskom to be appointed. Mashatile believes that the group’s chief executive should understand solving the electricity crisis and get the power stations working to end load shedding.

Solly Mapaila, leader of the SACP, also spoke at the NUM congress and used the opportunity to criticize former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter. He believed De Ruyter was a failure and an example of the ANC’s weakened deployment policy. Mapaila suggested that the ANC appoint its skilled party members to lead, who would better implement and understand its strategy and policy objectives.

The ANC gave De Ruyter seven days to open a criminal case regarding corruption allegations, or the party would open a case against him. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, stated that Ramaphosa was still considering his Cabinet reshuffle.

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