Cape Town - Following his dramatic exit from Cabinet on Monday, the ANC said on Wednesday that it has appointed Fikile Mbalula as the head of elections at its headquarters, Chief Albert Luthuli House, with immediate effect.
Hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his Cabinet reshuffle a tweet by Mbalula sparked speculation about his position as police minister.
He tweeted: "President Ramaphosa is going to announce cabinet changes in a few hours. I have packed already let's move on."
"This appointment follows a decision of the special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on Sunday, 24 February to deploy several Chairpersons of committees to Luthuli House in line with resolutions of successive national conferences to expand and strengthen the organisation’s capacity to execute the tasks and demands of the current phase of the revolution," ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said.
"Comrade Fikile Mbalula has served the movement for many years with utmost determination and commitment, having served as both the Secretary General and President of the ANC Youth League for almost a decade. He has also served as a member of the Cabinet for over a decade, recently serving as a Minister Police.
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"The ANC is confident of Comrade Mbalula’s leadership at the helm of our elections machinery as we advance towards a landslide victory in the 2019 National Elections," Duarte said.
Mbalula, an avid tweep, has changed his Twitter biography from MrFearFokol to ANC Elections Chair - Former Min of Police. Former Sport Minister. ANC NEC Member. Former ANCYL President and SG - Towards 2019 Elections Decisive Victory.