
<p>By Zaynab Mohamed – Political Analyst</p>



<p>After Prime Minister Thomas Thabane deployed the army on the streets of Maseru over the weekend, South African mediators were sent to ease the tensions.</p>



<p>Two-day talks between stakeholders were concluded, with Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki and South African mediator Jeff Radebe signing an agreement which stated that, among other things, the processes of Parliament must continue to ensure that Mr Thabane will leave office with “dignity, grace and security”.</p>



<p>Mr Radebe told journalists that the “timeline is immediate” for Mr Thabane’s exit.</p>



<p>Mr Thabane, however, does not agree. The 80-year-old prime minister fired back in an interview published in the Lesotho Times on Thursday, April 23, saying, “People that I don’t report to [are] setting the time for my departure, their own convenient time. They have no right to do so … I don’t understand what all this rush is about. I am not going to give in to their demands.”</p>



<p>When the army was deployed, there were rumours that Police Commissioner Holomo Molibeli had been arrested. It later emerged that, although Mr Molibeli was not arrested, Mr Thabane did, in fact, order his arrest and that of two of his subordinates, but Lieutenant General Mojalefa Lesoela, the commander of the Lesotho Defence Force, refused to carry out this order.</p>



<p>Mr Thabane earlier (unsuccessfully) attempted to fire Mr Molibeli after he charged Mr Thabane with playing a part in the murder of his ex-wife Lipolelo Thabane.</p>



<p>The deal to form a new coalition government signed by the All Basotho Congress (ABC) and the Democratic Congress (DC) is now supported by enough MPs to guarantee the 61-seat threshold. Two of Mr Thabane’s current coalition partners, the Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL), support the ABC-DC coalition and so does a smaller opposition party, the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD).</p>



<p>Now that parliamentary proceedings can go ahead, steps towards the vote of no confidence are being taken.</p>



<p>The Senate will be sitting on Friday, April 24, to approve an amendment bill which advises King Letsie III to dissolve Parliament if Mr Thabane loses a vote of no confidence. Once approved by the Senate, the amendment bill will then have to be signed into law by King Letsie.</p>



<p>Then the lower house will sit for the vote of no confidence, which Mr Thabane looks certain to lose.</p>



<p>By deploying the army to restore order, Mr Thabane showed his willingness to resort to violence, but with General Lesoela refusing to carry out his orders, bloodshed was avoided this time.</p>



<p>With all odds against him – a murder case, a vote of no confidence, and a disobedient army boss – we would assume that Mr Thabane would have cut his losses by now.</p>



<p>However, he still stands firm, making us wonder what he still has planned for the mountain kingdom.</p>


Op-Ed: Thabane puzzled by “all this rush”


<p>By Kopano Gumbi, CNBC Africa&#8217;s markets reporter  </p>



<p>South Africa’s Minister of Energy, Jeff Radebe believes
the process of awarding of contracts to Independent Power Producers (IPPs) has
been fair and without corruption. Despite nearly three years of delays in
signing off IPP contracts, the minister today said the IPP process has
&#8220;earned world acclaim.&#8221;</p>



<p>Presently, South Africa receives just over 3,776 MW of
power into the grid from renewable producers, which is less than 5 percent of
the total energy sold to consumers.</p>



<p>The minister acknowledged that the initial cost of
introducing IPPs was high but that the price has fallen through subsequent bids.
IPPs have now become cost neutral to Eskom, as the cost is passed to the
consumer.</p>



<p>After months of consistent power, Eskom has had to
reintroduce load shedding in December and again in February, after seven
generating units went down. Minister Radebe however, said that without IPPs,
load shedding would have been worse. </p>


SA’s Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe argues the case for Independent Power Producers

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<p>The Africa Energy Indaba is taking place in Johannesburg today. The Indaba presents an opportunity for companies to explore business opportunities in the African energy sector. CNBC Africa reporter Lubabalo Mashiqana spoke to John Rocha from the NEPAD Business Foundation on the future of energy in Africa.</p>


NEPAD’s John Rocha on the future of energy in Africa

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<p>South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe hosted a media briefing earlier this morning, in response to claims that he has used his relationship with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Jeff Radebe, both his brothers-in-law to secure energy contracts with Eskom. CNBC Africa reporter, Kopano Gumbi gives more details.</p>


Billionaire Patrice Motsepe sets the record straight on favouritism allegations

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<p>The Minister of energy Jeff Radebe launched the Black Energy Professionals Association or BEPA for short. BEPA was established to address the inadequate number of black professionals and entrepreneurs in the South African energy sector.</p>


Minister Radebe urges more black professionals to transform energy sector

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<p>Energy Minister Jeff Radebe is finally going ahead with the signing of 27 renewable energy power projects after the North Gauteng High Court&#8217;s dismissal of a court bid by the National Union of Metalworkers and Transform RSA to block the projects.</p>


Energy minister to finally sign 27 renewable energy power projects

<p>South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his cabinet on Monday after coming to power two weeks ago when scandal-plagued Jacob Zuma resigned under pressure from the ruling African National Congress.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-295161 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ANC54_NDZ_CR_GettyImages-RZ1.png" alt="" width="850" height="549" /></p>
<p class="">Below are details of some key ministers:</p>
<p class=""><strong>NHLANHLA NENE &#8211; FINANCE MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">Nhlanhla Nene served as finance minister from May 2014 until December 2015, when Zuma fired him and replaced him with unknown parliamentary backbencher Des van Rooyen.</p>
<p class="">A collapse in the rand currency forced Zuma to sack van Rooyen and reappoint a previous finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, just four days later.</p>
<p class="">Nene, a veteran civil servant who was keen to rein in government spending, had been reluctant to rubber-stamp an ambitious plan to build a number of nuclear power stations, a project that might cost as much as $100 billion and one which Ramaphosa has frankly said South African cannot afford.</p>
<p class="">Nene has since taken up roles in the private sector including as a board member at fund manager Allan Gray, resident advisor at investment firm Thebe Investment Corporation and as acting head of a business school in Johannesburg.</p>
<p class=""><strong>DAVID MABUZA &#8211; DEPUTY PRESIDENT</strong></p>
<p class="">ANC deputy president David Mabuza is the new Deputy President of South Africa and premier of Mpumalanga province. He has not served as a cabinet minister before.</p>
<p class="">Mabuza was an ally of Zuma and was accused of involvement in corruption in awarding tenders. He has denied any wrongdoing.</p>
<p class="">Mabuza’s influence in Mpumalanga will be significant for Ramaphosa and the ANC in next year’s parliamentary election.</p>
<p class=""><strong>PRAVIN GORDHAN &#8211; PUBLIC ENTERPRISES MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">A popular figure with investors, Gordhan served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014 and again from 2015 until 2017.</p>
<p class="">Gordhan has been a critic of the corruption that dogged Zuma’s term and there will be high expectations for him to clean up state-owned firms. His combative style can be divisive.</p>
<p class=""><strong>NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA &#8211; MINISTER IN THE PRESIDENCY</strong></p>
<p class="">The former minister and chairwoman of the African Union Commission narrowly lost to Ramaphosa in an ANC leadership election in December and she would have hoped to be naming her own cabinet at this stage.</p>
<p class="">Dlamini-Zuma was married to former president Zuma for over a decade and has four children with him.</p>
<p class=""><strong>LINDIWE SISULU &#8211; FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">Sisulu initially ran against Ramaphosa in the ANC leadership race last year but later withdrew, choosing to pursue the deputy position, which she lost to David Mabuza.</p>
<p class="">Most recently serving as human settlements minister, Sisulu is the daughter of anti-apartheid activist Walter Sisulu, a close friend of Nelson Mandela.</p>
<p class="">While in exile during apartheid, Sisulu joined the military wing of the ANC, working in intelligence.</p>
<p class=""><strong>GWEDE MANTASHE &#8211; MINERALS RESOURCES MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">Trade unionist Mantashe, 62, is currently the national chairperson of the ANC and former secretary-general of the party &#8212; a position he held for 10 years.</p>
<p class="">The shrewd party strategist was the first trade unionist appointed to the board of directors of a company listed on Johannesburg’s stock exchange.</p>
<p class=""><strong>JEFF RADEBE &#8211; ENERGY MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">Radebe is one of the longest-serving ministers in post-apartheid South Africa, having held several senior cabinet positions in including as minister of public enterprises, justice and transport.</p>
<p class="">He served in underground structures of the ANC during white minority rule and was imprisoned on Robben Island, where the apartheid government kept political prisoners.</p>
<p class=""><strong>MALUSI GIGABA &#8211; HOME AFFAIRS MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">Gigaba returns to the home affairs ministry after having served as finance minister since being appointed by Zuma in March. He delivered the budget last week.</p>
<p class="">Gigaba has previously served as Minister of Public Enterprises.</p>
<p class="">A South African court found last year that Gigaba had violated the constitution by lying about a dispute with a company during his time at home affairs. Gigaba has said he will challenge the ruling. [L8N1QB5BV]</p>
<p class=""><strong>ZWELI MKHIZE &#8211; COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">The ANC’s former treasurer general was an outsider in the party’s leadership race won by Ramaphosa in December.</p>
<p class="">A medical doctor by training, Mkhize also served as a party boss in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province, from where Zuma and Dlamini-Zuma hail. Ramaphosa will be relying on Mkhize to reconcile opposing factions in the ANC, analysts say.</p>
<p class=""><strong>NALEDI PANDOR &#8211; HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">A former teacher and veteran minister, Pandor comes from a long line of political activists in Kwa-Zulu Natal, a key province for the ANC and one where Ramaphosa needs allies.</p>
<p class="">Largely praised for her personal integrity, Pandor has criticised ANC politicians for their lavish lifestyles.</p>
<p class=""><strong>DEREK HANEKOM &#8211; TOURISM MINISTER</strong></p>
<p class="">A white Afrikaner, Hanekom has served as a minister under every president since the end of white-minority rule, including as minister of land under Nelson Mandela.</p>
<p class="">Hanekom was one of the most vocal critics of Zuma and was sacked as tourism minister last year after publicly calling for his removal.</p>
<div class="Attribution_container_28wm1">
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Compiled by Tiisetso Motsoeneng and Joe Brock; Editing by James Macharia and Catherine Evans</p>
</div>
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Key figures in S.African President Ramaphosa’s first cabinet

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<p>Minister in the presidency Jeff Radebe believes South Africa is on the right track in rebuilding confidence in business.</p>


Jeff Radebe speaks on the leadership changes at ANC

<p>South Africa’s ruling African National Congress elects a new party leader to succeed President Jacob Zuma at a conference starting on Saturday.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-294559 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/ANC54-Delegates-GettyImages-893791434.png" alt="" width="850" height="566" /></p>
<p>The winner will be favorite to become president of the country after a 2019 national election.</p>
<p>Below are the main ANC leadership hopefuls. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa are the two front runners.</p>
<h3>NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA</h3>
<p>The former minister and chairwoman of the African Union Commission has served in the cabinets of every South African president in the post-apartheid era.</p>
<p>Dlamini-Zuma was married to President Zuma for over a decade and has four children with him.</p>
<p>She is backed by the ANC’s influential women’s and youth leagues, as well as by Zuma and provincial party leaders close to him.</p>
<h3>CYRIL RAMAPHOSA</h3>
<p>The deputy president and former trade union leader is one of South Africa’s richest people.</p>
<p>Ramaphosa played an important role in the negotiations to end apartheid and in the drafting of South Africa’s progressive 1996 constitution.</p>
<p>He is supported by a diverse group of labour unions, communists and ANC members disillusioned with Zuma.</p>
<h3>ZWELI MKHIZE</h3>
<p>The ANC’s treasurer general is one of the ruling party’s “top six” senior leaders.</p>
<p>A medical doctor by training, Mkhize also served as a party boss in the KwaZulu-Natal province, from where Zuma and Dlamini-Zuma hail.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-294560 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Zweli-Mkhize_GettyImages-RZ.png" alt="" width="850" height="566" /></p>
<p>Some analysts see Mkhize as a compromise candidate for ANC leader who could reconcile the opposing factions supporting Dlamini-Zuma and Ramaphosa.</p>
<h3>LINDIWE SISULU</h3>
<p>The human settlements minister is the daughter of anti-apartheid activist Walter Sisulu, a close friend of Nelson Mandela.</p>
<p>Sisulu says Ramaphosa approached her to be his running mate but she turned down the offer.</p>
<h3>JEFF RADEBE</h3>
<p>The minister in the presidency has also held senior cabinet positions including public enterprises minister.</p>
<p>He served in underground structures of the ANC during white minority rule and was imprisoned on Robben Island, where the apartheid government kept political prisoners.</p>
<h3>MATHEWS PHOSA</h3>
<div></div>
<p>The former premier of the Mpumalanga province has also worked as the ANC’s treasurer general.</p>
<p>Phosa has demanded that nominations for ANC leader in Mpumalanga be re-run, as he says he has proof that party members were told how to vote.</p>
<p>Mpumalanga’s current premier is a Zuma loyalist, David Mabuza, who is viewed by some as a kingmaker in the ANC race.</p>
<h3>BALEKA MBETE</h3>
<p>The speaker of South Africa’s lower house of parliament also briefly served as deputy president.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-294561 size-full" src="http://cnbc.africa/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Baleka-Mbete_GettyImages-RZ.png" alt="" width="850" height="566" /></p>
<p>She has said she has held talks with other leadership hopefuls to discuss the possibility of working together.</p>
<div class="Attribution_attribution_o4ojT">
<p class="Attribution_content_27_rw">Reporting by Alexander Winning; Editing by James Macharia and Giles Elgood</p>
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Factbox: Key players in South Africa’s ANC leadership race

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<p>South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, announced the 37 NDP youth ambassadors today, who are to spearhead the country’s vision 2030.</p>


Minister Radebe spearheads youth employment drive

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<p>Minister in the presidency Jeff Radebe responded to recent allegations pertaining to the National Development Plan&#8217;s efficiency by the SACP and COSATU as well as his presidential ambitions.</p>


Jeff Radebe talks NDP, presidential ambitions

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<p>South Africa&#8217;s National Development Plan is shaping the fourth industrial revolution by incorporating technology in its implementation.</p>


Jeff Radebe

Op-Ed: Thabane puzzled by “all this rush”

SA’s Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe argues the case for Independent Power Producers

NEPAD’s John Rocha on the future of energy in Africa

Billionaire Patrice Motsepe sets the record straight on favouritism allegations

Minister Radebe urges more black professionals to transform energy sector

Energy minister to finally sign 27 renewable energy power projects

Key figures in S.African President Ramaphosa’s first cabinet

Jeff Radebe speaks on the leadership changes at ANC

Factbox: Key players in South Africa’s ANC leadership race

Minister Radebe spearheads youth employment drive

Jeff Radebe talks NDP, presidential ambitions

SA’s National Development Plan incorporates ICT skills training

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Jeff Radebe

Op-Ed: Thabane puzzled by “all this rush”

SA’s Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe argues the case for Independent Power Producers

NEPAD’s John Rocha on the future of energy in Africa

Billionaire Patrice Motsepe sets the record straight on favouritism allegations

Minister Radebe urges more black professionals to transform energy sector

Energy minister to finally sign 27 renewable energy power projects

Key figures in S.African President Ramaphosa’s first cabinet

Jeff Radebe speaks on the leadership changes at ANC

Factbox: Key players in South Africa’s ANC leadership race

Minister Radebe spearheads youth employment drive

Jeff Radebe talks NDP, presidential ambitions

SA’s National Development Plan incorporates ICT skills training

News Tips

Advertise With Us

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