Deputy President David Mabuza has resigned, making room for Paul Mashatile, the new deputy president of the ruling party (ANC) African National Congress to succeed him. Mabuza stated during a family funeral in the southeastern Mpumalanga province that he had informed President Cyril Ramaphosa of his resignation and that he was making a place for Mashatile. His remarks were broadcast on Cape Talk radio. Despite the fact that Ramaphosa is entitled to appoint anybody he wants from the National Assembly to serve as his deputy, the ANC has historically held the top two positions in government. Mashatile, who served as the ANC’s treasurer-general is due to be sworn in as a lawmaker on February 6. This is a blatant sign that he’s planning to join the executive.
Mashatile was elected in the conference, therefore Mabuza stated he must make room for him. He stated that he had spoken with Ramaphosa about his resignation and that they had come to an understanding that he would step down. “I am making space for the one elected at the conference because I can see he (Mashatile) is also making a few moves. So now I am also in a rush to give them space. I spoke to the president and told him I would step down,” Mabuza said on Saturday. “The president will say that Mabuza has resigned. He (Ramaphosa) and I had an agreement. I said I would respect the president until I leave, so I have left and I think those left will continue to respect him. Mashatile was elected at the ANC national conference in December, which immediately brought assumptions of an impending Cabinet reshuffle. The ANC prefers aligning its political leaders with government deployments, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula previously said.
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. The appointment of Mashatile and several other cabinet changes to the cabinet are anticipated to be made public in the upcoming days. Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, declined to comment.Ramaphosa’s victory over the ANC in late 2017 was largely made possible by Mabuza, 62, who also managed to secure the No. 2 party position for himself. After Mabuza could not receive a single nomination from any of the party institutions, Mashatile was elected to the latter position during an ANC conference in December. Following his selection to this position by President Cyril Ramaphosa, he was initially sworn in as Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa on February 27, 2018, and again on May 30, 2019, for the 6th democratic Administration.David Mabuza, the fomer deputy president, thinks it makes sense for him to step down in order to make room for Paul Mashatile, who was elected to fill the position during the ANC conference in December.
Deputy President responsibilities
– Leader of Government Business in Parliament
– Leading Government efforts to fast-track Land Reform and the coordination of Government programmes to accelerate Land Reform and agricultural support
– Assist the President to stimulate and support Rural and Township economies through implementing empowerment models
– Assist the President in the implementation of Rapid Response interventions on Service Delivery and Trouble-shooting in service delivery hotspots
– Coordinate Anti-Poverty initiatives through, amongst others, Public Employment Programmes, Integrated Service Delivery and Enterprise Development
– Leading the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and the country’s integrated response to the challenges of HIV and AIDS
– Assist the President in efforts towards building a better Africa
– Support in Investment Facilitation and Trade Promotion
– Leading the National Human Resource Development Council and fostering collaboration between government and social partners towards addressing the shortage of skills in critical sectors of the economy
– Promoting Social Cohesion Initiatives including being patron of the Moral Regeneration Movement.
– The Inter-Ministerial Committee on Water and Sanitation
– Presidential Task Team on Military Veterans
– Inter-Ministerial Committee on Covid-19 Vaccines, and
– Inter-Ministerial Task Team in response to matters raised by Traditional Leaders
The Deputy President also serves as the chair of the Cabinet Committees on Justice, Crime-Prevention, and Security as well as Governance, State Capacity, and Institutional Development (GSCID) (JCPS).
Mabuza Government Capacity
Formerly, Deputy President Mabuza served in the government in a number of capacities, including Premier of the Mpumalanga Province from 2009 to 2018; Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Agriculture and Land Administration in the Mpumalanga Province from 2008 to 2009; MEC for Roads and Transport from 2007 to 2008; Member of the Mpumalanga Provincial Legislature from 2004 to 2007; and Mpumalanga MEC.
Mabuza has also progressed through the ranks of the governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), where he has held the position of Deputy President of the ANC since December 2017. He was previously elected as the ANC’s Chairperson in Mpumalanga from 2008 to 2017, an Ex Officio Member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ANC since 2007, the Deputy Chairperson of the ANC in Mpumalanga in 2005, and the Chairperson of the South African (AZASO) from 1984 to 1985Deputy President Mabuza was a school principal before going into politics. He is a certified mathematics teacher by trade.
His enthusiasm for education is still intense, in 2014 he founded the DD Mabuza Foundation, which focuses on education and the social upliftment of disadvantaged populations like children, families with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
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