By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The new Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers of the seventh administration have been sworn into office in Cape Town.
The cohort took their oath of office or solemn affirmation in a ceremony officiated by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo on Wednesday.
The new cabinet is a mix of old and new – with a fair few members of former opposition parties now heading up various portfolios as part of the unity government.
Approximately eight ANC ministers from the sixth administration have not retained their positions, while three have been reassigned as deputies under DA ministers.
The first to take the oath of office was Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
In taking the oath, the Deputy President said: “In the presence of everyone assembled here, and in full realisation of the high calling I assume as Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, I, Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile, swear that I will be faithful to the Republic of South Africa and will obey, observe, uphold and maintain the Constitution and all other law of the Republic; and I solemnly and sincerely promise that I will always promote all that will advance the Republic, and oppose all that may harm it;
- be a true and faithful counsellor;
- discharge my duties with all my strength and talents to the best of my knowledge and ability and true to the dictates of my conscience;
- do justice to all; and
- devote myself to the well-being of the Republic and all of its people
“So help me God.”
Then it was the turn of the newly minted executive to take the oath of office or solemn affirmation.
The oath or affirmation compels them – amongst others – to be faithful to the Republic of South Africa and to uphold the Constitution and all other laws while in office.
Other party leaders in the new cabinet include UDM president Bantu Holomisa, now the deputy minister of defence and military veterans.
PAC president Mzwanele Nyhontsho serves as the minister of land and rural development, while Patriotic Alliance leader Gayton McKenzie takes on the role of minister of sports, arts, and culture.
Al Jama-ah president Ganief Hendricks is appointed as the deputy minister of social development.
FF Plus president Pieter Groenewald assumes office as the minister of correctional services.
McKenzie, who has a colourful and controversial past, brought a moment of levity to the ceremony. Reflecting on his transformation from a convicted bank robber to a political leader, he joked with Justice Zondo: “The last time a judge told me to sit, they made me sit for 10 years.”
McKenzie’s journey from a 15-year prison sentence for armed robery to a motivational speaker and now a Cabinet minister highlights the diverse and sometimes unexpected paths of South Africa’s leaders. As the head of the Patriotic Alliance, McKenzie’s inclusion in the Cabinet marks his party’s first foray into national governance in its 10-year existence.
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Mashatile watched on and congratulated the new Ministers and Deputy Ministers that he appointed in terms of the powers vested in him by the Constitution.
Addressing members of the media following the swearing-in ceremony, Ramaphosa said the ceremony was a historic moment.
“It has been a very difficult and complicated process. It’s now come to an end and to a start. It’s a fresh start for all of us in South Africa. Today was a historic moment in constituting the Executive of our country in the form of Ministers and Deputy Ministers, who have all collectively been assuring me… that they are going to work and they are going to make South Africans proud.
“The trust that our people have invested in all these men and women… We will not waste time. We will work very hard to take our country forward, “he said.