South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the resignation of his deputy, David Mabuza, thanking him for his “unwavering support” over the last five years.

Local reports say it comes as no surprise because Mr Mabuza had already announced earlier this month that he would be stepping down.

He will stay in the post until Mr Ramaphosa announces his successor, widely expected to be new ANC Deputy President Paul Mashatile.

A cabinet reshuffle is expected next week once South Africa’s annual budget is announced.

The government is under pressure to prove it has the answers to the countries economic woes and rolling blackouts.

As I conclude, I wish to extend my appreciation to Deputy President David Mabuza for his unwavering support over the last five years.

Deputy President Mabuza has indicated his wish to step down from his position, a request that we are attending to… pic.twitter.com/bAHfwOH8Nf

— African National Congress (@MYANC) February 16, 2023

“DP Cheers”

President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that he has received Deputy President David Mabuza's resignation

“I'm considering and attending to the DP's request” Ramaphosa pic.twitter.com/9YrutnR3EE

— News Live SA (@newslivesa) February 16, 2023

David Mabuza

David Dabede “DD” Mabuza (born 25 August 1960) is a South African politician who has been Deputy President of South Africa since February 2018. He was the Deputy President of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the Premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018, throughout the presidency of his former political ally Jacob Zuma.

A native of rural Mpumalanga and a teacher by training, Mabuze’s initial engagement in politics was through the Black Consciousness movement, while he was a student, and then through teachers’ unions; he was chairperson of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, an affiliate of the influential Congress of South African Trade Unions, from 1988 to 1991. After the end of apartheid in 1994, he joined the Mpumalanga provincial legislature as an ANC representative and took up a series of ministerial posts in the Mpumalanga Executive Council. He was elected to the ANC National Executive Committee for the first time in 2007 and was ANC provincial chairperson in Mpumalanga from 2008 to 2017, throughout his premiership.

Mabuza’s politics have been described as populist. Through a rigorous recruitment drive, he increased the size and influence of the Mpumalanga branch of the ANC and, with Ace Magashule and Supra Mahumapelo, was part of the so-called Premier League that helped engineer the outcome of the ANC’s 54th National Conference. At the conference, held in December 2017, Mabuza was elected Deputy President of the ANC, serving under Cyril Ramaphosa. When Ramaphosa ascended to the national presidency after Zuma’s resignation in February 2018, he appointed Mabuza to succeed him as national Deputy President.