South Africa’s President Is Unlikely to Face Impeachment
New York TimesDec 23, 2022
The Facts
On Monday, South African Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet and created two new positions in an apparent bid to address the country's severe energy crisis.
Ramaphosa named former mayor Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as South Africa's first-ever electricity minister to lead the government's energy action plan aimed at ending the country's blackouts, which can last as long as 15 hours a day. He will also be tasked with tackling allegations of corruption at the state-owned energy company Eskom.
The Spin
Narrative A
The cabinet reshuffle that South Africans have been eagerly awaiting reflects the government's determination to overcome the country's energy and economic crisis. In doing so, the challenges necessitate a temporary increase in the number of ministries, including the transitory appointment of an energy minister whose sole task is to manage the severe energy crisis and initiate new energy projects. The government has understood that South Africans want action and solutions and has now set the course.
Narrative B
Ramaphosa's announcement reflects how out of touch he is, as he's doing little more than shuffling rotten apples from one cabinet post to another and bloating the cabinet after promising its size would be reduced. It's also striking that none of the remaining ministers have been held accountable for their abysmal performance and incompetence. This reshuffle offers no hope for millions of South Africans who have been plagued by blackouts for the last 15 years.
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