This follows his request to CYril Ramaphosa to step down from his position as President of South Africa. President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded David Mabuza for his exceptional service to the country over the last five years. At the beginning of the month, the outgoing deputy president David Mabuza confirmed that he had resigned from his position. David Mabuza was speaking at his brother’s funeral in Mpumalanga where he said he wanted to make way for newly elected ANC deputy president Paul Mashatile. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya explained earlier that Mabuza would only leave the position once they had tied up all the loose ends pertaining to his departure. The delays around the Cabinet reshuffle sparked rumours that Mashatile was being blocked by Ramaphosa’s close allies. However, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula has been adamant that there is nothing untoward about the process surrounding the reshuffle. Not only was Mabuza not re-elected at the ANC’s 55th conference in December 2022, he also no longer occupies a seat in the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), its highest decision-making body between conferences.