United Democratic Movement leader Bantu “General” Holomisa is now the new deputy minister of defence.
Holomisa is not a newcomer when it comes to the armed forces. During apartheid, he was a brigadier with Transkei Defence Force, in the Transkei bantustan.
This is not also not his first stint as a member of the national executive. In the 1990s, he was chosen by Nelson Mandela to be deputy minister of environment and tourism.
David Mahlobo has just taken his oath of office as a member of the national executive, swearing to uphold the Constitution.
Mahlobo, previously linked to rhino poaching syndicate, is one of two deputy ministers of water and sanitation.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is now announcing the new deputy ministers. There are 43 of them and they will support the 32 Cabinet ministers who have just been sworn in, making the national executive a staggering total of 75 members.
This will be the most expensive executive since 1994.
Democratic Alliance’s Leon Schreiber and alleged former dog shampoo salesman John Steenhuisen have been sworn in as ministers of Home Affairs and Agriculture respectively.
Schreiber says he is ready to tackle the work visas backlog as his first task.
Gayton McKenzie is officially the new minister of sport, arts and culture, following in the footsteps of Zizi Kodwa and Fikile Mbalula.
“The last time a judge asked me to sit, he made me sit for 10 years,” says McKenzie as Chief Justice Raymond Zondo asks him to take a seat
McKenzie was a bank robber in his previous life.
The Democratic Alliance’s Siviwe Gwarube has taken her oath as new minister of basic education. She takes over from Angie Motshekga, who is now the minister of defence.
Gwarube is one of the youngest ministers in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.
Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Groenewald has taken his oath as new minister of correctional services.
Groenewald has a long history in South African politics, including being a mayor of Stilfontein during apartheid.
Maropene Ramokgopa, known as Cyril Ramaphosa’s lieutenant, has taken her oath of office. A month ago, was filled in as acting minister of sports after Zizi Kodwa’s resignation.
Kodwa resigned after he was charged with corruption.
Senzo Mchunu (police), Patricia de Lille (tourism), Ronald Lamola (international relations), Enoch Godongwana (finance) and Barbara Creecy (transport), Khumbudzo Ntshavheni (Presidency) and Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (electricty and energy) have been sworn in as ministers.
Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has been sworn as minister of small business development. This is her second stint in charge of propelling small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs).
One of the issues on her plate will be streamlining payments processes for government service providers, a bulk of which are SMMEs.
Many government departments are failing to pay suppliers within the stipulated 30-day period, with Gauteng being the worst offender.
Blade Nzimande has been sworn in as minister of science, technology and innovation. He was previously minister of higher education, which has been split from his new portfolio.
At this old job, he was accused of receiving bribes in exchange for National Students Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) tenders.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile has taken his oath of office. He officially starts his first full-term as the second citizen of South Africa, even though his first stint as deputy president started in March 2023.
Deputy President-elect Paul Mashatile has entered the chamber with his wife, Humile Mashatile.
Proceedings are underway, with Presidency director-general and secretary of Cabinet, Phindile Baleni, speaking at the podium. She has just announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa and Chief Justice Raymond Zondo will be entering the chamber soon.
WATCH SWEARING IN OF DEPUTY PRESIDENT, MINISTER AND DEPUTIES
“I’ll be donating 100% of my salary to the Joslin Smith Foundation for missing children,” McKenzie tells SABC News.
Six-year-old Joslin Smith, from Diazville in Saldanha Bay, is missing. She was last seen on 19 February 2024 while in the care of her mother’s boyfriend.
Minister-elect of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie tells SABC News that he intends to prioritise and put funding behind it car spinning and drag racing.
“All kids love racing. This is part of motorsport.
“I’m going to regulate it and have ambulances on site,” says McKenzie
Newly appointed members of the national executive, which the include the deputy president, ministers and their deputies, are being sworn in at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday, with Chief Justice Raymond Zondo set to preside over the ceremony.
President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took his oath of office two weeks ago at the Union Buildings, announced his national executive on Sunday, 30 June, after days of negotiations with political parties constituting the so-called government of national unity (GNU).
South Africa’s largest-ever national executive
Ramaphosa’s executive is the largest South Africa has ever had – 32 Cabinet ministers and 43 deputy ministers – and it includes members from the ANC, Democratic Alliance, Inkatha Freedom Party, Patriotic Alliance, Freedom Front Plus, Pan Africanist Congress of Azania, Al Jama-ah, Good party and the United Democratic Movement.
In the sixth administration, Cabinet had only 30 ministers and the number has now grown to 32. As a result, the number of the members in the national executive has also increased as some ministers have two deputies.
Notably, the ministries of electricity and energy have been merged, and a separate ministry of mineral and petroleum resources will be established.
Likewise, the ministry of agriculture has been separated from the ministry of land reform and rural development.
In addition, the ministry of higher education will be separated from the ministry of science, technology and innovation, and the ministry of justice and constitutional development has also been separated from the ministry of correctional services.
