PRETORIA, The announced resignation on Thursday of the South African Labor Minister, Mildred Oliphant, has raised to nine the list of former high-ranking government officials who has made up their mind to resign their parliamentary seat after being frozen out of the new cabinet.

In two weeks all those ministers who did not remain in the new government announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on May 31 asked to leave the national parliament.

Mildred Oliphant, who was serving as MP since the first democratic elections in South Africa in 1994 and also served as Labor Minister from 2010 to 2019, was the last one official to resign.

In Cape Town, headquarters of parliament, the ANC parliamentary group spokeswoman, Nonceba Mhlauli, officially brought forward Oliphant’s resignation, preceded by that of former Minister of the Presidency and leader of the Women’s League of the African National Congress (ANC), Bathabile Dlamini.

The other Ministers who resigned, where the ANC is represented by 230 of the 400 seats, were Siyabonga Cwele (Interior), Jeff Radebe (Energy), NormaIndia Mfeketho (Human Settlements), Tokozile Xasa (Sports and Recreation), Susan Shabengu (Social Development) as well as Dipuo Letsatsi Duba (State Security).

Derek Hanekom, former Minister of Tourism and a lawmaker since the first parliament formed after the first post-apartheid elections in 1994, also resigned.

In announcing the composition of the new Government, Ramaphosa revealed the staff reduction from 36 to 28 and the appointment of 14 new Ministers.

Local media outlets believe that some of these ANC veteran members left the parliament to ensure their pensions as former Ministers and take on other positions.

Source: Nam News Network