By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied creating a parallel government after his announcement that of a new electricity minister to sit in the presidency during the State of the Nation Address.
Once appointed, the new political head will oversee aspects of the response to the electricity crisis, focus on all Eskom-related matters, and work with the board and management to bring an end to load shedding.
Ramaphosa was speaking on the sidelines of the post-Sona Presidential Golf Tournament on Friday.
As of 2022 the State Security Agency reports to the Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele. Several other portfolios under the presidency include the red tape reduction committee headed by Sipho Nkosi, and the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team that was led by Daniel Mminele.
Ramaphosa said as the centre of government, the presidency is tasked with ensuring that government functions and plays a supervisory role.
He described the criticisms as a “misunderstanding” of the president and the presidency.
“At one stage people said they want the centre of government to be strong, and when we do so they criticize and say ‘oh you’re giving too much power to the presidency.”
National State of Disaster
Ramaphosa added that criticism over the state of disaster is misplaced and that all South Africans should rather focus on load shedding.
The president rejected the notion that the state of disaster could create a “super presidency” by placing everything within or under the office of the presidency.
He described the DA’s announcement that it will challenge the declaration of the energy crisis as a state of disaster is misguided.
“Their criticism is misguided and it’s based on not understanding of what we are seeking to achieve. We are seeking to address the elec”tricity crisis by declaring a state of disaster. It is quite interesting that they called for a state of disaster and when it is declared, they are opposed to it, Ramaphosa said.
In a statement, the DA said the National State of Disaster under the guise of dealing with the load shedding crisis it created, will empower the ANC to abuse procurement processes and issue “nonsensical regulations” that have little to do with the electricity crisis.
But Ramaphosa insisted there will be no looting.
“If there is any money that is going to be deployed, it is money that is going to be deployed to Eskom, to entities that are going to enable us to deal with the energy crisis. That’s it. There’s not any form of money that is going to parcelled out to individuals.”
The DA on Friday (10 February) said that, in addition to challenging the national state of disaster, the party has written to the Judge President of the Supreme Court of Appeal for an urgent court date to hear its existing challenge to the constitutionality of Section 27 of the Disaster Management Act.
Since 2021, the DA has been fighting to have Section 27 of the DMA declared unconstitutional as it leaves Parliament with no formal and direct supervisory role on decisions taken under the Act, even as it transfers extensive legislative powers to the national executive for indefinite periods of time.
Ramaphosa said he would iron out any misunderstanding around the declaration during the scheduled SONA debate.
Cabinet Reshuffle
The president has called for patience amid talk of an imminent cabinet reshuffle, and the resignation of Deputy President David Mabuza.
Mabuza tendered his resignation following the election of new ANC leadership, however, Ramaphosa asked him to remain in his role “until such time the modalities of his departure and transition have been finalised”.
“All these matters, the cabinet and all that are matters that are under consideration, and as I have said in the past watch this space. All this will be announced in due course. I think there’s a great deal of impatience on the part of the media and we are processing all these matters, and in good time all these will be announced.”
Four new ANC members of Parliament, including newly elected party deputy president Paul Mashatile and second deputy secretary-general Maropene Ramokgopa, were appointed and sworn in this week.