ASSESSMENTS

South Africa’s President Tries to Consolidate Power With a Cabinet Reshuffle

Aug 9, 2021 | 18:33 GMT

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (center) visits a mall in Soweto that was damaged by looters on July 18, 2021.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (center) visits a mall in Soweto that was damaged by looters on July 18, 2021.

(EMMANUEL CROSET/AFP via Getty Images)

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle aims to reinvigorate economic reforms while consolidating more personal control amid factionalism within his ruling African National Congress (ANC). But Ramaphosa will still struggle to implement those reforms as the pandemic and socio-economic stress in South Africa endures. The Aug. 4 reshuffle is Ramaphosa’s first since the 2019 presidential elections and saw more than one-third of his cabinet replaced. The move comes a month after the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma triggered violent unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. ...

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