The African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu-Natal has announced that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC, Sihle Zikalala, will be redeployed to the National Assembly.
Cabinet reshuffle
ANC KZN provincial secretary Bheki Mtolo made the announcement on Monday amid a looming Cabinet reshuffle by President Cyril Ramaphosa next month.
Mtolo, in a statement, said Zikalala would resign as the Cogta MEC after his redeployment to the national legislature.
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Zikalala’s imminent deployment to Cape Town comes on the back of the announcement by Parliament on Monday that ANC Members of Parliament (MPs), Tshilidzi Munyai and Mervyn Dirks, had resigned as MPs.
Parliament’s spokesperson Moloto Mothapo confirmed the pair’s resignations on Twitter.
He said Dirks’ resignation was effective on Monday while Munyai’s would be on Tuesday.
“[The] speaker has wished both well in their future endeavours,” said Mothapo.
Dirks, an outspoken ANC MP, has been critical of Ramaphosa and his leadership of the governing party, especially over the Phala Phala scandal.
Dirks was among the ANC MPs who refused to toe the party line in December and voted in favour of the adoption of the Section 89 independent panel report on Phala Phala.
The report was defeated by the ANC caucus in Parliament through its majority and could have seen Ramaphosa face an impeachment inquiry.
Zikalala’s appointment as Cogta MEC
Zikalala was appointed KZN’s Cogta MEC after he lost the chairperson position of the ANC in the province to Siboniso Duma in July last year.
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The provincial executive committee (PEC) led by Duma removed Zikalala as KZN premier and appointed Nomusa Dube-Ncube to the position.
Zikalala was recently elected to the ANC’s influential national executive committee (NEC) – the governing party’s highest decision-making structure – at its 55th national conference in December in Nasrec.
Mabuza’s ‘resignation’
Meanwhile, last week speculation was rife that Deputy President David Mabuza had resigned from his position after losing the ANC’s deputy presidency to Paul Mashatile.
The Presidency declined to comment on the rumours.
Spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told The Citizen that he refuses to comment on Mabuza’s position until a final decision has been made.
“Should there be any changes in the executive authority of government, the president will communicate those changes when he deems it appropriate to do so and as per the exercise of his prerogative,” said Magwenya.
Ramaphosa is largely anticipated to reshuffle his Cabinet sometime in February, following his re-election as ANC president.
Additional reporting by Gareth Cotterell.
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