Ramaphosa axes DA's Whitfield as deputy minister of trade and industry
President Cyril Ramaphosa has fired deputy trade, industry and competition minister Andrew Whitfield.
Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya on Thursday confirmed the president used his prerogative to remove Whitfield from his executive in terms of the constitution.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa has already informed Whitfield of his decision.
'The Presidency can confirm that in terms of section 93(1) of the constitution President Ramaphosa has removed Andrew Whitfield, MP, from the position of deputy minister for trade, industry and competition. The president has thanked the former deputy minister for the time he served in the role.'
Though the removal of Whitfield comes amid calls for Ramaphosa to fire higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane over the handling of the botched Seta board appointments, Magwenya said there was no indication there would be a cabinet reshuffle.
It is believed Ramaphosa's axing of Whitfield was probably linked to a trip to the US by a DA delegation. Ramaphosa is said to have warned Whitfield against being part of the delegation led by the DA's Emma Powell but he disregarded the warning.
Two senior members of the executive told TimesLIVE that, though not confirmed, Whitfield's axing was probably because of this.
'Remember he [Whitfield] went to the US after the president said he shouldn't,' said one senior member of the executive, with another adding, 'it was a cabinet decision' that Whitfield should not be part of the DA's delegation 'but he insisted, claiming he is going there not as a deputy minister'.
The dismissal of Whitfield is likely to cause further tensions between the DA and the ANC in the government of national unity (GNU) as it appears Ramaphosa fired him without consulting the DA.
The decision has triggered the DA's federal council chair Helen Zille to call an urgent federal executive meeting on Thursday to discuss its implications.
'I have convened an urgent meeting of the DA's federal executive after the actions of President Ramaphosa around the composition of the national executive of the GNU,' said Zille.
'The DA's federal executive will meet later today [Thursday] and the DA will give further comment later.'
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The fired deputy minister of Trade and Industry, Andrew Whitfield. Image: DTIC Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen has expressed concerns regarding President Ramaphosa's decision to dismiss DA deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Andrew Whitfield, over a travel issue, while ANC ministers implicated in the VBS and SETA scandals remain in their positions. The presidency confirmed on Thursday that Ramaphosa had removed Whitfield as Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. It is believed he was removed over insubordination related to an unauthorised overseas trip earlier this year. The Presidency said Ramaphosa acted in accordance with Section 93(1) of the Constitution, thanking Whitfield for his service but offering no indication of a broader Cabinet reshuffle. However, Steenhuisen, who also serves as Minister of Agriculture, raised concerns about the decision. 'Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa put South Africa's future at stake,' said Steenhuisen during a parliamentary debate on the Division of Revenue Bill on Thursday afternoon. 'Shortly before the Cabinet met, he informed me of his intent to remove Andrew Whitfield. I asked for 24 hours to consult my party. But just three hours later, Whitfield received a letter informing him of his dismissal.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading According to Steenhuisen, the reasoning was that Whitfield travelled abroad without presidential permission, but he insists the facts contradict that claim. 'On February 12, Whitfield wrote to the president requesting permission to travel to the United States, as required by the Ministerial Handbook,' Steenhuisen said. 'Ten days later, he had received no response and departed. He later wrote to apologise if the trip had caused offence - again, with no reply from the president.' Steenhuisen criticised President Ramaphosa for removing Whitfield over a technical infraction while not taking action against ANC ministers who are allegedly involved in more serious misconduct. 'While a DA deputy minister is removed for not receiving a response to a travel request, Thembi Simelane remains in Cabinet despite being implicated in the VBS Mutual Bank scandal,' he said. Simelane, who was once the mayor of Polokwane, took a R575,600 loan from the now-defunct bank to buy a coffee shop in Sandton. She has denied any wrongdoing. Steenhuisen also called out Higher Education Minister Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, who recently faced backlash after appointing politically connected individuals, including the son of ANC chairperson Gwede Mantashe - to SETA boards. Those appointments were later withdrawn following allegations of nepotism. 'Instead of being fired, Simelane was merely asked to submit a report to the president and reassigned to another portfolio,' Steenhuisen said. 'Serial underperformers and those implicated in state capture remain seated at the Cabinet table.' He also referenced Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation David Mahlobo, who has been implicated in serious corruption allegations by the Zondo Commission, yet remains in government. Steenhuisen suggested that some perceive Whitfield's removal as a consequence of his actions. 'Andrew Whitfield was succeeding. He opposed corrupt appointments and blocked looting linked to the Transformation Fund in a department already tainted by corruption involving the National Lottery,' he said. 'It's hard to escape the conclusion that DA ministers are being fired not for committing corruption, but for fighting it.' He warned that the decision could destabilise the fragile Government of National Unity (GNU). 'If this is not urgently corrected, it will go down as the greatest political mistake in modern South African history,' he said. 'The DA therefore calls on the president to fire Simelane, Nkabane, Mahlobo, and other ANC ministers implicated in corruption within 48 hours.' Steenhuisen warned that failure to act would have consequences. 'If they fail to do so, the ANC will bear full responsibility. They did not have to do this - they triggered everything that follows,' he said.
