South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a Cabinet reshuffle on Monday that included appointing a new vice president and the establishment of two new ministries in a bid to "fill vacancies that have occurred in the Executive and to direct government more effectively towards the areas that require urgent and decisive action."
The president added that the new changes were also made in order to ensure stability and continuity in the work of his government.
"The purpose of these changes is to ensure that government is properly capacitated and directed to give effect to the commitments made in the State of the Nation Address and the Budget Speech," Ramaphosa said in a televised address. "We have said that the people of South Africa want action, they want solutions and they want government to work for them."
The reshuffle included appointing Paul Mashatile, who was elected deputy president of South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, as deputy president of the republic. Mashatile's appointment came in the wake of the resignation of Deputy President David Mabuza in February.
Given the current challenges facing his government and the South African nation, Ramaphosa also decided to establish two new ministries, including the Ministry of Electricity and the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, which will focus on strengthening the government’s performance.
Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was appointed as Minister of Electricity to deal with the ongoing power crisis, which is considered to be the worst in South Africa's history. In February, the crisis forced President Ramaphosa to declare "a national state of disaster" to overcome the electricity crisis gripping his country.
"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," President Ramaphosa said. "To effectively oversee the electricity crisis response, the appointed Minister will have political responsibility, authority and control over all critical aspects of the Energy Action Plan."
Ramaphosa noted that the minister of electricity "will remain in office only for as long as it is necessary to resolve the electricity crisis."
23 February 2023, 09:18 GMT
Other changes to South Africa's Cabinet included replacing the heads of the following ministries:
Minister of communications and digital technologies: Mondli Gungubele
Minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs: Thembi Nkadimeng
Minister of public service and administration: Noxolo Kiviet
Minister of public works and infrastructure: Sihle Zikalala
Minister of sports, arts and culture: Zizi Kodwa
Minister of tourism: Patricia de Lille
Minister of transport: Sindisiwe Chikunga
Minister in the presidency: Khumbudzo Ntshavheni
Minister in the residency responsible for women, youth and persons with disabilities: Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma
Ramaphosa's reshuffle also included new picks for deputy minister posts.
The president said that he hopes the new ministers and deputy ministers will "adopt a zero tolerance approach to corruption wherever it exists," calling on them to place the interests of the South African people "foremost in the work that they do."