By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Maropene Ramokgopa to act as the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture until a permanent appointment is made under the new seventh administration.
This comes after Zizi Kodwa’s resignation as Minister and member of Cabinet on Wednesday.
“President Ramaphosa accepted Minister Kodwa’s resignation and thanked Kodwa for his service to the nation in his capacity as Deputy Minister of State Security from 2019 to 2023 and Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture from March 2023,” the Presidency said on Friday.
“President Ramaphosa has appointed Minister Maropene Ramokgopa to act as Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture. This will be until a permanent appointment is made under the new 7th administration, read the statement.”
Ramokgopa is the current minister in the presidency, responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluation under the sixth administration.
Kodwa appeared in the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday in connection with allegations that he received about R1.7 million in bribes.
He stated that his immediate resignation is to allow him to challenge the charges against him, which he strongly denies.
Kodwa appeared in court alongside accused number one in the matter, Jehan Mackay. The latter is the director of Tactical Software Systems (TSS). He is also a former senior executive of Enterprise Outsourcing Holdings (EOH).
The pair were granted bail each of R30,000 after facing charges of contravention of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act (Precca) and corruption
Their matter was postponed by magistrate Sheron Soko-Rantao to July 23 2024. This for the purpose of disclosure of the contents of the docket to the accused’s lawyers by the state.