In a week marked by the controversial promotion of former higher education minister Nobuhle Nkabane to the position of ANC deputy chief whip in Parliament, the party is also planning a reshuffle of several chairpersons. This move aims to reposition the ANC in a national assembly where it no longer holds an outright majority.
Sources within the ANC caucus indicate that proposed changes affecting senior MPs responsible for overseeing government departments were discussed after a recent meeting of the party’s Top 7 leadership, which sanctioned Nkabane’s elevation.
Among the anticipated moves, Nonkosi Queenie Mvana is expected to be removed from her current role as chairperson of the portfolio committee on electricity and energy. Lusizo Sharon Makhubela is tipped to take up a leadership role within the same committee.
Further adjustments are expected in committees responsible for government planning and research. Zama Khanyase is set to move to the portfolio committee on planning, monitoring and evaluation, while current chairperson Teliswa Mgweba is expected to shift to the committee overseeing science and innovation.
Khanyase is the recently elected deputy secretary-general of the ANC Youth League, positioning her among the emerging younger leaders within the governing party’s broader political structures.
However, the ANC may face hurdles in implementing the reshuffle.
Since losing its outright majority in the National Assembly following the 2024 general election, the party can no longer unilaterally secure leadership positions in parliamentary committees. Although political parties nominate candidates for chairperson roles, the nominees must still be elected by committee members themselves.
Each portfolio committee consists of 10 members. In the electricity and energy committee, the ANC holds five seats, while in both the planning, monitoring and evaluation committee and the science and innovation committee, the party has only three representatives each.
This means the ANC will need the backing of other parties represented in Parliament to ensure its preferred candidates secure the positions. As a result, behind-the-scenes negotiations are expected as the party works to secure sufficient support for its nominees in what has become a far more competitive parliamentary environment.
The anticipated reshuffle comes alongside a controversial internal appointment within the ANC caucus. On Thursday, the party confirmed the appointment of Nkabane as deputy chief whip of the ANC in the National Assembly.
Nkabane’s elevation has raised eyebrows among some MPs due to the controversies that surrounded her tenure as higher education minister.
Her time in the portfolio became politically turbulent after a row over the appointment of chairpersons to several Sector Education and Training Authority boards.
The process drew widespread criticism after a list of proposed appointees included politically connected figures, among them Buyambo Mantashe, the son of ANC national chairperson Gwede Mantashe.
The appointments triggered a public outcry and intense scrutiny in Parliament, with opposition parties questioning whether the process had been influenced by political patronage. Nkabane was forced to withdraw the appointments and restart the selection process after the backlash.
Despite the controversy and reservations from some MPs, sources say Nkabane received strong backing from Gwede Mantashe, one of the ANC’s most influential leaders.
