Good morning. The newly elected 80-member national executive committee (NEC) of the ANC is a lot closer aligned to President Cyril Ramaphosa than the previous NEC. The president surely has no excuse to not push through his reform agenda and remove the bad apples in government now that he has heightened political capital.
70% of the NEC was on Ramaphosa’s slate
Ramaphosa exits the national elective conference in much better shape than what he entered after winning re-election and getting a majority of the Top 7 on his side as well. The latest boon for the president was the election of 57 out of 80 NEC members that are believed to be on his slate. Ramaphosa no longer has any excuses for inaction and must begin the work of cleaning up his government and pushing through the reforms he has been touting since day one on the job. Read more here. (Daily Maverick)
Cabinet reshuffle looks imminent
After some senior cabinet members failed to make the new NEC, it looks certain that Ramaphosa will reshuffle his cabinet and axe those that did not make the cut. Among the big names on the chopping block include tourism minister Lindiwe Sisulu, who fought a bitter campaign against Ramaphosa, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan, who declined to be nominated to the NEC, and deputy president David Mabuza, who did not make it back onto the NEC. Read more here. (Times LIVE)
NPA says Zuma does not have the correct certificate to prosecute Ramaphosa
After former president Jacob Zuma tried an eleventh-hour trick to prevent Ramaphosa from running for re-election at the ANC national conference, the national prosecuting authority said the nolle prosequi certificate used by Zuma to build his ‘private prosecution’ does not apply. The NPA said the certificate concerned state advocate Billy Downer and did not mention Ramaphosa. Downer is prosecuting Zuma in an arms-deal-related case. Zuma accused Ramaphosa of “being [an] accessory after the fact to crimes committed by, among others, advocate [Billy] Downer” in alleged breaches of the NPA Act. Read more here. (News24)
**There will be no Morning Brief until Wednesday, 28 December 2022. We wish all our loyal readers a happy festive period.
Here’s what else you need to know today:
Cyril Ramaphosa’s Renew22 caucus makes major gains in the ANC’s new National Executive Committee – Daily Maverick
Ramaphosa victory – good for the rand – BizNews
How best to budget during the festive season in South Africa – BusinessTech
South Africa’s minimum wage vs the world – BusinessTech
Woolworths to make beauty, fashion and homeware products available at Pargo collection points – Daily Maverick
Elon Musk said Twitter is like a crashing plane with its ‘engines on fire’ – Business Insider
How Zelenskiy Made His High-Security Train-to-Plane Journey to Washington – Bloomberg
