by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa’s uneasy coalition government has hit turbulence again after a reshuffle by President Cyril Ramaphosa resulted in a corruption-accused minister being switched to a different portfolio.
There has been calls on Ramaphosa to fire Minister of Justice and Correctional Services, Thembi Simelane, on her alleged links to improper loans from the now-collapsed VBS Mutual Bank during her time as mayor of Polokwane in 2016.
Instead, late Tuesday, Ramaphosa appointed her as Minister of Human Settlements, to swap roles with Mmamoloko Kubayi.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), the biggest partner in a coalition government led by the African National Congress (ANC) of Ramaphosa, expressed “outrage.”
Luyolo Mphithi, DA spokesperson on Human Settlements, said the president’s action was disrespectful to South Africans, and “an insult” to millions of citizens who continue to wait on adequate shelter as promised by the Constitution.
“The DA reiterates its message that Simelane is unfit for Cabinet. End of story,” Mphithi said.
The DA noted Simelane would now oversee a department with a budget of R33 billion (US$1,8 billion) annually.
“It is a recipe for disaster,” Mphithi said.
“We strongly urge the president to immediately overturn this inexplicable appointment, as a compromised minister has no place in cabinet.”
Glynnis Breytenbach, DA spokesperson on Justice and Constitutional Development, said, “The president’s decision to remove Thembi Simelane as Minister of Justice and redeploy her to Minister of Human Settlements is short-sighted and disrespectful to South Africa.”
ANC, which had been in power since independence in 1994, was forced into a coalition, also known as the Government of National Unity (GNU), after it lost its majority in the May 2024 general elections.
Cracks have emerged among the partners, mostly around the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the Israel-Palestine conflict.
– CAJ News