Cabinet changes had been widely expected since Ramaphosa
was re-elected leader of the governing African National Congress (ANC) at a
party leadership contest in December, paving the way for him to run for a
second term in 2024.
Ramaphosa's ANC is set to face its toughest electoral test
yet in just over 12 months, with the party facing the real prospect that it
could lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of
apartheid in 1994.
In a televised address to the nation, Ramaphosa said he had
chosen Kgosientsho Ramokgopa for the newly created role of electricity
minister, who most recently headed efforts to drive infrastructure investment.
He appointed the ANC's No. 2 official Paul Mashatile as
deputy president following David Mabuza's resignation last week, a widely
expected move.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, Mining and Energy
Minister Gwede Mantashe and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan, all
seen as key Ramaphosa allies, retained their posts.
Ramaphosa said the cabinet changes were "not about
overhauling the national executive" but about adding new skills.
Ongama Mtimka, politics lecturer at the Nelson Mandela
University, said the president had only focuse on the most urgent changes
politically.
"He's chosen the easier path and it's understandable
given the fact that there is just a year to go to another election," he
said.
Analysts say new electricity minister Ramokgopa's track
record is mixed, with some praising his work on infrastructure development but
others critical of his stint as mayor of the Tshwane metro, which includes the
capital Pretoria.
Struggling state power company Eskom has implemented
scheduled electricity outages on every day in 2023, with most households and
businesses without power for up to 10 hours a day.
Ramaphosa's government last month invoked disaster
management legislation in response to the power crisis.
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