Johannesburg - Gauteng Premier David Makhura has indefinitely postponed the much-anticipated announcement of his provincial cabinet, which he was scheduled to reveal on Tuesday noon.
Makhura was re-elected to his post on Wednesday last week at the provincial legislature where he was unsuccessfully challenged by the DA’s Solly Msimanga for the top post.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, provincial government spokesperson Thabo Masebe said Makhura would no longer announce his new MECs as promised.
“The Premier is still finalising consultation on the matter within the governing party. A new date will be communicated in due course,” Masebe said.
Makhura is under pressure to include more women in his cabinet while not excluding influential political leaders who were men and who were eyeing seats in the 11-member executive council.
ANC deputy provincial chairperson and education MEC Panyaza Lesufi and economic development MEC Lebogang Maile are some of the party’s top leaders who are set to secure seats in the new cabinet.
Following his re-election, Makhura undertook to make major changes to his provincial executive council where he said he would deploy younger MECs and mix them with those in the ANC’s caucus who had experience in governance, especially in running municipalities.
Both MPLs who could be appointed on the basis of local governance experience were men, being former Johannesburg mayor Parks Tau and former Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa.
Makhura’s conundrum of gender balance could also be increased when he said to include alliance partners in his cabinet, as its top leaders in the ANC’s caucus are also men.
These include SACP provincial secretary and infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo and SACP provincial chairperson Joe Mpisi.
Mpisi served as the portfolio committee chairperson for education in the previous legislature.