South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday announced changes to his Cabinet, including a new deputy president and a new minister of electricity, amid the escalating power crisis in the country, reported The Bloomberg.
Changes in the cabinet had been widely expected since Ramaphosa was re-elected as the leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at a party leadership contest in December.
“I have decided to appoint Mr. Paul Mashatile as deputy president of the republic,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address.
Mashatile, who also serves as deputy president of the ANC party, replaces David Mabuza, who resigned last month.
The South African president also appointed Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as the new minister of electricity. He will now be responsible for resolving the country’s ongoing electricity crisis.
South Africa is facing its worst electricity crisis in decades, with rolling blackouts of up to six hours a day. Power utility Eskom, which generates over 90% of the country’s electricity, has been struggling to meet demand and implementing different stages of outages for weeks.
The South African leader said the new electricity minister’s primary task will be to significantly reduce the severity and frequency of load shedding as a matter of urgency.
Some of the other ministers who have been selected to be a part of the cabinet include Khumbudzo Ntshavheni as the minister in the presidency, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as the minister in the presidency responsible for Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, and Maropene Ramokgopa as a minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation.
Mondli Gungubele has been appointed as the minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, and Thembi Nkadimeng has been appointed the minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Noxolo Kiviet is the new Public Service and Administration minister and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala is now the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure. Several deputy ministers have also been appointed.
