Cape Town - ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile will be among the four MPs to be sworn in at Parliament on Monday before the State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Thursday.
This was confirmed on Sunday in a statement by the ANC’s parliamentary chief whip, Pemmy Majodina.
Majodina also confirmed that the party’s second deputy secretary-general, Maropene Ramokgopa, would be sworn-in along with ANC national executive members, former KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala and former Gauteng economic development MEC Parks Tau.
“The ANC parliamentary caucus is looking forward to welcoming the four members and leaders of the ANC who will take their oaths or affirmations as new MPs in the Speaker’s office at 12pm on Monday (today),” Majodina said.
She said that they congratulated the quartet and looked forward to benefiting from their skills, talents and experience.
Parliament has similarly confirmed the planned swearing in ceremony.
“The presiding officers will also use the briefing as a photo opportunity for media to witness the swearing-in of new MPs to fill in vacancies caused by recent resignations,” spokesperson Moloto Mothapo said.
The swearing in comes after four ANC MPs resigned last week to open up vacancies on the governing party’s parliamentary list to accommodate the new MPs who are tipped for Cabinet positions.
These were Tshilidzi Munyai, Mervyn Dirks, Masefako Clarah Dikgale and Matshidiso Mfikoe.
Munyai and Mfikoe were sworn in as members of the provincial legislature in Gauteng last week.
“The four former MPs have dedicated their lives to the service of the people of South Africa, and the ANC caucus wishes them well in their future endeavours,” Majodina said.
Monday’s swearing-in of the new MPs has fuelled speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle is on the cards, with Cogta Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, who were presidential hopefuls in the ANC leadership race, expected to be axed by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This will likely see Mashatile taking up the position of the country’s deputy president position held by David Mabuza.
Zikalala, Ramokgopa and Tau are tipped to be appointed as ministers in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.
There is vacancy in the Cabinet after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula was elected as the ANC secretary-general at the party’s elective conference.
Mabuza, who was not re-elected to the ANC national executive committee two months ago, announced his wish to leave his position at a funeral service in Mpumalanga on Saturday.
He indicated that he was stepping down to pave the way for Mashatile, who was voted as the party’s deputy president at the ANC conference in December.
“I am making space for the one elected at the conference because I can see he 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.
“The president will say that Mabuza has resigned. He 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,” he told the mourners.
On Sunday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed that Mabuza had been asked to stay in the position until the transition from the office was finalised.
“Deputy President Mabuza has expressed his desire to step down from his position, following the outcome of the governing party’s leadership elections in December 2022.
However, President Ramaphosa has requested the deputy president to remain in his role until such time the modalities of his departure and transition have been finalised,” Magwenya said.
Cape Times