South Africa’s New President Names Allies and Rivals to Cabinet
Although Mr. Ramaphosa succeeded in forcing Mr. Zuma to step down as president, the composition of
his first cabinet underscored the enduring influence of Mr. Zuma and his supporters, experts said.
In addition, Mr. Ramaphosa chose as the nation’s deputy president — the post
that he himself occupied under Mr. Zuma — the premier of Mpumalanga Province, David Mabuza.
"There is a substantial number of people in the cabinet who supported Zuma, though, in the key ministries, Ramaphosa got the people he wanted to get in." In a highly
symbolic appointment, Nhlanhla Nene, a well-respected former finance minister fired by Mr. Zuma in 2015, assumed the same position in Mr. Ramaphosa’s cabinet.
In forming his cabinet 11 days after being sworn in as president, Mr. Ramaphosa also retained some allies of his scandal-plagued predecessor,
Jacob Zuma, apparently trying to balance the competing factions inside the African National Congress, the governing party.
Ralph Mathekga said that How can Ramaphosa claim to be anti-corruption when he is standing next to such a morally compromised figure as David Mabuza?
Mr. Ramaphosa said that When he talks about being anti-corruption, he’ll just have to sing to the birds, because no one else will listen.