South African Deputy President David Mabuza resigned, clearing the way for Paul Mashatile, the new deputy leader of the governing African National Congress, to succeed him.
Speaking at a family funeral in the northeastern Mpumalanga province, Mabuza said he had informed President Cyril Ramaphosa that he had resigned and was making space for Mashatile. His remarks were broadcast on Cape Talk radio.
While Ramaphosa can appoint any member of the National Assembly as his deputy, it has been an ANC tradition for the top two government posts to mirror its own. Mashatile, previously the ANC’s treasurer-general, is expected to be sworn in as a lawmaker on Feb. 6, indicating that he’s set to join the executive.
Ideally, it is “the deputy president of the ANC who becomes deputy president of the country,” Fikile Mbalula, the ANC’s secretary general, told reporters last week.
Mashatile’s appointment, along with several other cabinet changes, is likely to be announced in the coming days. Vincent Magwenya, Ramaphosa’s spokesman, declined to comment.
Mabuza, 62, was instrumental in helping Ramaphosa win control of the ANC in late 2017 while securing the No. 2 party post for himself. Mashatile won the latter post at an ANC conference in December after Mabuza failed to secure a single nomination from any party’s structures.
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