President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday evening announced a few major changes to his Cabinet, as part of improving the capacity of government.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am therefore making changes to the National Executive to improve the capacity of government to effectively undertake these tasks,\u201d he said referring to the challenges faced by South Africa requiring several tasks to be undertaken at once.<\/p>\n
The President announced several changes to the National Executive, at a time when government is facing several challenges, including re-working to accelerate its vaccination programme to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the same time, working to ensure peace and stability in the wake of the recent outbreak of violence and destruction in parts of the country.<\/p>\n
The President said, in addiiton, there were also a number of vacancies to be filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cA further vacancy has arisen following the request I have received from Minister Zwelini Mkhize to allow him to step down as the Minister of Health in order to bring certainty and stability to this important portfolio,\u201d the President announced.<\/p>\n
Dr Joe Phaahla has been appointed as the new Minister of Health. He served as Deputy Minister of Health from 30 May 2019 to 5 August 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am grateful to Minister Mkhize for his service, and particularly for the outstanding leadership he has provided in the face of the worst pandemic in over a century.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have also accepted a long-standing request by Minister Tito Mboweni to be excused from his position as Minister of Finance,\u201d the President announced.<\/p>\n
Minister Mboweni took up this position following the sudden departure of former Minister Nhlanhla Nene in October 2018.<\/p>\n
Since then, he has effectively and ably steered National Treasury through extremely difficult economic times, providing stability and instilling confidence. \u201cI am grateful to Minister Mboweni for responding to the call to serve our nation at its time of need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enoch Godongwana has been appointed as the new Minister of Finance. Godongowana had previously served as the Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises (2009-2010) and as Deputy Minister of Economic Development (1 November to 2012).<\/p>\n
New appointments<\/strong><\/p>\n With respect to Ministers, the President made the following new appointments:<\/p>\n With respect to Deputy Ministers, the President made the following appointments:<\/p>\n Among the other changes announced by the President is the separation of the Ministry of Human Settlements from the Ministry of Water and Sanitation. The two portfolios were brought together understanding that the provision of water is closely tied to the development of human settlements.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the reality is that water is a far broader issue, impacting not only on human settlements, but also on agriculture, industry, mining and environmental management. \u201c<\/p>\n The separation he said, will enable a dedicated focus on ensuring that all South Africans have access to a secure and sustainable supply of water.<\/p>\n President Ramaphosa also announced the decision to do away with the Ministry of State Security and place political responsibility for the State Security Agency within the Presidency.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is to ensure that the country\u2019s domestic and foreign intelligence services more effectively enable the President to exercise his responsibility to safeguard the security and integrity of the nation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Source: South African Government News Agency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\n
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\nChanges in the configuration of departments<\/strong><\/p>\n