Cabinet reshuffle ‘coming this week’, due to riot response failures – report

Cyril Ramaphosa is allegedly set to take action against a set of ministers in the security cluster, after SA’s intelligence branches were caught napping during the unprecedented spree of looting and riots earlier this month. The president, according to reports, is now prepared to go ahead with a rare Cabinet reshuffle.

‘Embarrassment over riots could well force a Cabinet reshuffle

The 68-year-old is often reluctant to shuffle his pack, but it would seem that the response to the riots has left him no choice. State Security Minister Ayanda Dlodlo has publicly contradicted Police Minister Bheki Cele, and the pair have continued to bicker over the weekend, with each statesperson accusing the other of not doing their job.

You’ve also got the Defence Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who has been openly disagreeing with Ramaphosa’s version of events. These mouthy ministers have talked their way into trouble, it seems, and the president is understood to be weighing up his options. Over R50 billion’s worth of damage was caused by the public unrest.

Which ministers could be fired from their positions?

However, it seems the human toll of this violence is what will really put some ministers to the sword in a Cabinet reshuffle. Almost 350 people have been killed as a direct result of these riots, and thousands have lost their businesses in the process. As COVID wreaks havoc in SA, this possibly avoidable situation has floored an already fragile economy.

Dlodlo maintains she gave the intelligence to Cele. However, Cele is adamant the police department didn’t receive adequate information to prevent these troubles. Mapisa-Nqakula famously defied Ramaphosa when he declared that an ‘insurgency attempt’ had taken place, before sheepishly backtracking with an apology a few days later.

These ‘ministers behaving badly’ all find themselves on the chopping block, with Dlodlo in particular facing most of the heat. It promises to be a busy week ahead for Cyril – he’s also giving a lockdown address to the nation on Sunday night.