Political parties have condemned President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent Cabinet reshuffle, in which he moved embattled Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Thembi Simelane to the Human Settlements Ministry.

On Tuesday, Ramaphosa announced immediate national executive changes. There have been persistent calls for Ramaphosa to fire Simelane.

He swapped Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi with Simelane, with each taking over the other's Ministry.

In other moves, Phumzile Mgcina was appointed the Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. Mgcina has been serving in the national executive as the Deputy Minister of Labour and Employment.

Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala was appointed the Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, having been serving in the national executive as the Deputy Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources.

It has been alleged that while serving as the mayor of Polokwane in 2016, Simelane took a loan of R575 600 from Gundo Wealth Solutions, the company that brokered “unlawful” investments of R349-million into VBS Bank on behalf of the Polokwane municipality, amongst others.

Recent news reports show Simelane's alleged lavish lifestyle being seemingly far beyond her means during her tenure as mayor of Polokwane. These allegations come in the wake of unanswered questions regarding her connection to unlawful investments in VBS Mutual Bank also during her tenure as mayor of Polokwane in 2016.

Democratic Alliance (DA) Justice and Constitutional Development spokesperson Advocate Glynnis Breytenbach said Simelane’s move to another Ministry was “short-sighted and disrespectful to South Africa”.

“While the President has finally addressed the untenable conflict of interest of having a Minister of Justice accused of corruption, his decision to simply move her somewhere else does not address the underlying issue, she stands accused of corruption and is subject to investigations. Human Settlements is a vital department for providing housing to South Africans. It must be led by a credible individual,” explained Breytenbach.

She said Ramaphosa was indecisive and insincere in his commitment to fighting corruption.

The DA has since made a Promotion of Access to Information Act request for access to the Simelane’s corruption report.

ActionSA rejected Ramaphosa’s “last-ditch cowardly” Cabinet reshuffle.

In September, ActionSA filed criminal charges against Simelane with the South African Police Service in Polokwane, relating to her alleged corrupt involvement with a VBS Mutual Bank loan.

“Simply put, if the Minister was deemed no longer fit to serve as Minister of Justice due to allegations of potential corruption and questionable sources of wealth beyond her declared earnings, then surely the President cannot now expect us to believe that she is perfectly suited to lead a critically important portfolio like Human Settlements, overseeing billions of rands,” said ActionSA Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip.

He said Ramaphosa had shown South Africans that he “lacked the appetite and fortitude” to break the entrenched culture of unaccountability that continues to plague the country.

“This cowardly move by the President also highlights the fact that his own Phala Phala demons continue to hamstring his actions when it comes to dealing with corruption in his Cabinet,” he stated.

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemned Ramaphosa’s reshuffle as a pointless exercise.

“…this unnecessary musical chairs of corrupt and incompetent Ministers and Deputy Ministers is a blatant misdirection of resources that could be used to deliver basic services such as water, sanitation, healthcare, and education,” the EFF said.

“The appointment of individuals with dark clouds hanging over them, such as Thembi Simelane, despite unresolved allegations of corruption linked to VBS Bank, is a clear indication that this reshuffle is not about service delivery or good governance. The DA-ANC government continues to recycle compromised leaders, using these reshuffles to shield corrupt officials and create an illusion of accountability.”

The EFF said it was shameful that Simelane's questionable personal loan and connections to looted funds have not disqualified her from leadership.

Meanwhile, uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) believes Ramaphosa’s reshuffling of Simelane is not about ensuring a more effective Cabinet. It said it was a calculated move to silence Simelane, who the party described as “a principled leader” who did not align to Ramaphosa's “factional and self-serving agenda”.

“At the heart of this reshuffle is Minister Simelane's courageous stance against renewing Advocate Shamila Batohi's term as National Director of Public Prosecutions (NDPP). Under Batohi's leadership, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has repeatedly failed to deliver justice in cases related to the so-called State Capture. This is because South African courts rely on concrete evidence – not gossip, innuendo, or politically motivated accusations - to secure convictions,” the party stated.

The MKP stated that Simelane was also on record raising serious concerns about key appointments within the NPA under Batohi's leadership, particularly the appointment of individuals who lacked the necessary security clearances.

“These questionable decisions have not only compromised the integrity of the NPA but have also undermined the public's trust in its ability to operate independently and effectively,” It stated.

The party is of the view that Ramaphosa's decision to remove Simelane revealed his “true intentions”: consolidating control over the justice system while shielding his administration from scrutiny.

“Minister Simelane's removal is not only an attack on her integrity but also a betrayal of South Africans who demand real justice and accountability. Her principled stance against political expedience and her commitment to upholding the rule of law have made her a target for an administration determined to stifle dissent,” the MKP averred.

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS

A group of civil society organisations have called for Simelane to be relieved from her duties, pending the outcome of the case against her, highlighting that Ramaphosa failed to exercise accountability when he chose to “play musical chairs” and not fire her.

The group, called Connect the Dots, noted that Simelane should have long stepped down from office.

“Perceptions of corruption and conflicts of interest cause significant harm to public confidence in governance institutions. If the allegations against Minister Simelane were deemed sufficiently serious for her to be removed from the justice portfolio, they are of sufficient seriousness for her to be removed from the Executive altogether. Questions around Minister Simelane's integrity will continue to cast a shadow over government efforts being made to improve accountability,” the group said.

Freedom Under Law (FUL) executive officer Judith February said the reshuffle was baffling given the serious allegations which remained regarding Simelane's probity.

“…no matter the Ministry she heads up, her credibility will continue to be undermined for as long these allegations are not answered fully.”

FUL notes that the President's statement regarding the reshuffle came without any proper justification and it did not provide details of the report which he undertook to consider.

“FUL is of the view that the President has erred in exercising his executive authority and missed an opportunity to deal decisively with a member of his Cabinet facing serious allegations of corruption, thereby sending a message that the government he leads is not committed to accountable governance. The only appropriate action would have been to relieve Ms Simelane of her position as a Cabinet Minister,” said February.