Siyabonga Cwele was named as Malusi Gigaba’s replacement as home affairs minister when President Cyril Ramaphosa announced changes to his cabinet on Thursday afternoon.
Gigaba resigned last week after a string of controversies.
His was one of two vacancies in Ramaphosa’s cabinet – the second being the position of environmental affairs minister following the death of Edna Molewa.
Ramaphosa announced Nomvula Mokonyane as Molewa’s replacement.
Cwele will move from the telecommunications and postal services ministry, and Mokonyane from the communications ministry.
Ramaphosa announced the merger of those two ministries, with the new ministry being headed by Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who was Cwele’s deputy until her promotion.
“In making these changes, I remain determined that the cabinet of our nation should have what I would call an appropriate mix of experience and capability, as well as gender, as well as a generation mix as well. And that it should have members who are committed to serve the people of our country,” he said.
Ramaphosa also announced that current energy deputy minister Thembisile Majola would be resigning from January 1 next year to “attend to family commitments”.
This is a developing story.