Patel sworn in MP as Ramaphosa finalises cabinet
Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel has been sworn in as a Member of Parliament ahead of President Cyril Ramaphosa's much-anticipated cabinet reshuffle.
Ramaphosa is expected to finally announce changes to his cabinet on Monday evening following weeks of consultations, engagements and speculations on who will be included or excluded.
Patel was one of the two ministers selected from outside the National Assembly in terms of the Constitution by the president - alongside Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
Godongwana has already been sworn in as an MP a week ago.
This leaves space for Ramaphosa to appoint two ministers who are not MPs.
Ramaphosa's long-awaited reshuffle could see a host of senior ministers leaving the executive after they failed to secure a seat on the ANC’s 80-member National Executive Committee (NEC) during the Conference.
This includes Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, and Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and People with Disabilities Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.
The Department of Public Service and Administration has also had no minister since Ayanda Dlodlo left for a job at the World Bank in April last year.
Fikile Mbalula is expected to focus on his role as ANC secretary-general, a role which requires him to be at the party’s Luthuli House headquarters full-time.
Patel is the latest ANC member to be sworn in as an MP after ANC second deputy secretary-general Maropene Ramokgopa, former Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Parks Tau and former KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikhalala.
Their deployment to parliament came after Tshilidzi Munyai and Mervyn Dirks resigned as members of the National Assembly.
ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile has also already been sworn in as an MP, set to take over from David Mabuza as Deputy President of the country.
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