By Zukile Majova
President Cyril Ramaphosa has a new headache: where to put Paul Mashatile, who was elected ANC Deputy President last month.
It is no secret that no one in the Ramaphosa camp wants Mashatile in a powerful position like deputy president of the country. For now DD Mabuza still has that job.
A deputy president stands in as acting president when the president is away or is removed from office.
It is not a problem that Ramaphosa can push aside, as he prepares for a major reshuffle of his cabinet within the next few weeks.
It was Ramaphosa’s indecision that guaranteed Mashatile’s victory at the 55th national conference.
Ramaphosa allowed his two allies Ronald Lamola and Oscar Mabuyane to contest the position of deputy president.
That split conference delegates and handed victory to Mashatile.
Now the question is: how to get rid of him or limit his proximity to power?
There are not many options available to Ramaphosa, apart from the prescription in the law that the deputy president must be a member of Parliament and be elected from MPs.
Sources close to Mashatile this week told Scrolla.Africa that the leader of the so-called Alex Mafia is on a quest to be deputy president and ultimately president of the country.
There is also a belief that Ramaphosa’s Phala Phala Farmgate issue is too big to sweep under the carpet and might just be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
This week members of the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) said they expect the 87-member NEC to meet to discuss names of ministers and deputy ministers who will be deployed to the cabinet.
Ramaphosa, a fan of leading by consensus, is not expected to insist on appointing his own cabinet.
For starters Mashatile, who was once named in connection with the infamous Alex Renewal Project in which an estimated R1.6 billion disappeared, is now clean, with no fresh corruption scandals.
As deputy president of the ANC, Mashatile has also inherited the influential position of chairperson of the ANC deployment committee.
This is the committee that recommends candidates for appointment to government positions.
Already Mashatile is leading efforts to replace Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele with former Gauteng premier David Makhura.
Here are the other positions that may be affected by the pending cabinet reshuffle:
· Public Enterprises – Minister Pravin Gordhan – [politically compromised at conference and in ill health]
· Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs – Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma – [Political fallout with the president]
· Tourism – Minister Lindiwe Sisulu – [Political fallout with the president]
· Public Service and Administration – Minister Ayanda Dlodlo – [Position is vacant after Dlodlo was recommended to the World Bank]
· Transport – Minister Fikile Mbalula – [Position is vacant after Mbalula was elected secretary of the ANC].
In the end the most difficult decision for Ramaphosa will be whether to have Mashatile inside his tent peeing out or outside peeing in.
Pictured above: ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile
Source: @OfficialNtokozo
