President defends reshuffle at WEF
Jacob Zuma gives a novel account of ‘night of the long knives’ cabinet reshuffle
President Jacob Zuma on Thursday came up with a novel account of why he reshuffled his Cabinet in the notorious "night of the long knives", telling a packed hall at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa that one of the reasons was to give younger people a chance at leadership. Zuma made the claim after he was challenged by members of the forum’s Young Global Shapers. The reshuffle resulted in an immediate downgrade of SA’s sovereign credit ratings and prompted widespread protests by opposition parties and civil society organisations. Those appointed include Police Minister Fikile Mbalula, 45, and Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, 46, who took over from much older politicians, although new Sports Minister Thulas Nxesi is a not-so-young 58. Zuma did mention youth as a reason for the reshuffle at the time, but political commentators have pointed out the utility of appointing younger politicians with lighter résumés is that they are more dependent on him for their positions and less on...
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