President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Paul Mashatile as Deputy President of South Africa in the seventh administration.

Mashatile is reprising his role from the sixth administration.

This was announced by President Ramaphosa in an address to the nation on Sunday night, announcing the country’s new cabinet.

Mashatile served as Deputy President from March 2023 following the resignation of former Deputy President David Mabuza.

In the sixth administration, Deputy President Mashatile was tasked with discharging the following duties:

Leader of Government Business in Parliament.

Leading Government effort to fast-track land reform and the coordination of Government programmes to accelerate land reform and agricultural support.

Implement Rapid Response interventions on service delivery and trouble-shooting in service delivery hotspots.

Assisting the President in the roll-out of the District Development Model through effective coordination of the different spheres of government which will improve the functio
ning of municipalities and address community concerns.

Leading the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) and the country’s integrated response to the challenges of HIV and AIDS.

Special Envoy on South Sudan and leading peace missions on the continent as required.

Leading the National Human Resource Development Council and fostering collaboration between government and social partners towards addressing the shortage of skills in critical sectors of the economy.

Promoting Social Cohesion Initiatives with a particular focus on Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders, as well as Military Veterans. In the term of the sixth administration Deputy President Mashatile also chaired the Governance, State Capacity and Institutional Development and the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cabinet Committees.

Mashatile hails from Gauteng and was the Minister of Arts and Culture between 2010 and 2014.

He has also served in various positions in the Gauteng Provincial Government, including as Member of the Executive Co
uncil (MEC) for Finance and Economic Affairs, MEC for Housing and MEC Transport, Roads and Public Works.

He was an anti-apartheid activist prior to the dawn of South Africa’s democracy in 1994 and was arrested and detained for some four years by the brutal Apartheid government.

Source: South African Government News Agency