REACTION: #CabinetReshuffle a ploy to take revenge on SACP

Zuma must be jailed - Young Communist League

"We call on the National Prosecution Authority to speedily fast-track prosecuting Jacob Zuma on his charges of fraud and corruption. We will never rest till Jacob Zuma is jailed."

'Cabinet reshuffle mainly to take revenge on SACP'

President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet reshuffle is mainly a ploy to take revenge on the South African Communist Party (SACP) by getting rid of Dr Blade Nzimande, says Dr Pieter Groenewald, leader of the FF Plus.

According to Dr Groenewald, everyone knows that the SACP is critical of Zuma and that is what prompted the reshuffle.

Dr Groenewald claims that moving David Mahlobo, the former minister of state security, to the portfolio of energy is an attempt to execute the nuclear power plan and to keep “promises” made to Russian leader Vladimer Putin.

“This must be a desperate move as it is general knowledge that Mahlobo is a stout Zuma supporter that will do anything Zuma asks.

“Just yesterday, the Minister of Finance said that South Africa does not have the financial means to execute the nuclear power plan, but clearly the President did not get the message,” he said.

“The new Minister of State Security, Bongani Bongo, was appointed to ensure that President Zuma retains control of this, and other related, institutions so as to protect himself and so that the institutions can be used to the benefit of the Zuma faction during the 2019 elections.”

Dr Groenewald said since Bongo comes from Mpumalanga, it seems as if Zuma’s move is an attempt to gain influence over the province, which is going to send the second most delegates to the ANC’s election conference in December.

“Today’s reshuffle does not mean that President Zuma will not make any further changes before December, one of which may possibly be to replace the current deputy-president, Cyril Ramaphosa, with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.”

Zuma's umpteenth reshuffle undermines confidence, growth - BUSA

Business Unity South Africa says President Jacob Zuma’s latest Cabinet reshuffle does little to inspire business confidence and is undermining growth prospects.

“Stability and certainty are a pre-requisite for business confidence, translating directly into the country’s economic growth potential,” said CEO Tanya Cohen.

Zuma's reshuffle threatens alliance and govt stability - Mantashe

President Jacob Zuma second reshuffle of his Cabinet without consulting the ANC's top six is likely to deepen fractured relations within the party leadership and further threaten the relationship with tripartite alliance partners.

"The ANC can have a particular view on a matter, but if the president invokes his prerogative as given by the country’s Constitution, as ANC, we have little space to manoeuvre," Mantashe said.

Zuma is fighting back

Myburgh said the other cabinet changes were about Zuma’s bid to retain power and to avenge those who had supported calls for his resignation. They had nothing to do with governance.

“It interesting to see that the changes mean that strong Zuma supporters are being placed in key areas such as State Security, Home Affairs and Communications (where we also have the third minister in a year). Other key areas like the Treasury and the Police were captured in the previous reshuffle.”

She said it was already clear that the nuclear deal would bankrupt the country “but it seems that the President does not care. This latest reshuffle is all about President Zuma. He is putting his own personal interests before the country, the economy and the poor,” Myburgh said.

Myburgh said the dramatic Cabinet change comes at a time when Eskom was refusing to sign agreements with independent power producers and the Russian nuclear deal seemed to be on again, despite its rejection by the courts and the country’s energy experts.

“President Putin of Russia clearly has more influence on President Zuma than the respectable old guard of the ANC.”

A bad move

President Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle is bad for South Africa and bad for governance, says the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“This means we have now had three Ministers of Energy in a single year in a department that should be all about long-term planning,” said Janine Myburgh, president of the Chamber.

“The only possible explanation is sinister. We have seen too many strange and irrational deals in the energy sector to believe anything else.”

More reaction now:

The YCLSA (Ufasimba) in a statement said it is disgusted by President Jacob Zuma's cabinet reshuffle, which it views as a power-drunk Saxonwold-inspired reshuffling.

Adriaan Basson: There are two theories going around about Zuma not making Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma a Cabinet minister.

1) He has dropped her as his preferred candidate and favours ANC Treasurer Zweli Mkhize 2) Making her a minister would have constrained her campaigning

Fin24 deputy editor Matthew Le Cordeur speaks to News24 editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson about Jacob Zuma's latest bombshell - a second Cabinet reshuffle in less than seven months.

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