Need to justify cabinet reshuffles is a step closer
Legal analyst says high court judgment on the axing of Gordhan and Jonas ‘creates a strong precedent for future presidents’
President Cyril Ramaphosa and future presidents might have to justify their decisions on cabinet reshuffles in future. This follows a decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal not to weigh in on a precedent-setting high court judgment that records of decisions should be made available when executive decisions are taken on review. In 2017, the High Court in Pretoria ordered then president Jacob Zuma to provide the record of decision making on the axing of Pravin Gordhan as finance minister and Mcebisi Jonas as his deputy. This was after the DA approached the court for the record, which would have formed part of its main application to have Zuma’s decision reviewed. This matter was, however, dropped after Zuma resigned and Gordhan was reappointed to the Cabinet. In a late-night reshuffle in March 2017, Zuma removed Gordhan and Jonas, worsening disarray in the economy. Zuma had initially brought the application for leave to appeal against the high court judgment, and Ramaphosa continued ...
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