CAPE TOWN - A burning question, newly-elected President, Cyril Ramaphosa may be facing is who will be in his first cabinet
Ramaphosa was sworn in yesterday as SA’s new president, following Zuma’s resignation on Wednesday.
This means that Ramaphosa now has the power to develop his own Cabinet and one of the most important positions will be the Finance Minister position.
For many South Africans the possibility of the current minister, Malusi Gigaba staying in office is almost impossible.
Director of the Centre for Constitutional Rights, Advocate Johan Kruger wrote in a briefing document, citing the Constitution which says that the president must appoint the deputy president and any number of ministers to his or her Cabinet, reports Fin24.
There apparently is mounting concern over whether Gigaba will retain his title as Minister of Finance.
If Gigaba is removed, his tenure will come to an end which started on March 31, 2017.
Also, the Budget Speech which is set to be delivered next Wednesday could also be affected by a Cabinet reshuffle.
We take a look at the five possible candidates for Finance Minister.
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Nhlanhla Nene
File image: Nhlanhla Nene. IOL.
Nhlanhla Nene served as Finance Minister between 2014 to 2015 and was subsequently axed by former president Jacob Zuma in favor of MP David van Rooyen.
Zuma allegedly promised Nene “another strategic position” which would be “announced in due course’.
However, nothing came of this and Zuma later nominated Nene as head of the African regional centre of the BRICS bank.
Similarly, this job also did not materialise which led Nene to the private sector, exiting parliament in 2016.
Nene held various titles, including Co-Chairperson on the Portfolio Committee on Finance from 2005-2008 and Director of the 2010 Fifa World Cup Local Organising Committee.
Pravin Gordhan
File image: Pravin Gordhan. IOL.
Pravin is the former Minister of Finance form 2005 to 2017.
He held various titles within government, including Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service and Chairman of the World Customs Organization.
Gordhan was appointed minsiter of Finance for the second time, succeeding Van Rooyen who held the title for merely four days.
He also challenged officials within his party pertaining to state capture.
Lungisa Fuzile
File image: Lungisa Fuzile. IOL.
Lungisa started his career as a teacher and also a university lecturer.
The Masters of Commerce graduate then joined the state in 1997 at Statistics South Africa.
From there, Fuzile joined the National Treasury where he served as director general in 2008.
He succeeded economist and central banker, Lesetja Kganyago, as Treasury director general.
However, he later resigned, citing a heavy workload and was then appointed CEO of Standard Bank SA, effective from January 15, 2018.
Mcebisi Jonas
File image: Mcebisi Jonas. IOL.
Mcebisi served as deputy finance minister for nearly three years but later resigned in 2017.
He is known for criticising state capture, saying that it undermines the regulation of the state.
Jonas also made allegations against the Gupta family, claiming that he was offered the job of finance minister and a payment of R600 million but refused the offer.
Zweli Mkhize
File image: Zweli Mkhize. IOL.
Zweli, a medical doctor, legislator and politician first joined the state in 1991, where he served the ANC as national health secretariat. He later claimed the title of MEC of Health.
His career then turned to the finance sector when he was appointed MEC for Finance and Economic Development in KwaZulu Natal in 2004.
He was later succeeded by Paul Mashatile in 2017 at the ANC’s 54th national elective conference.