Straightforward Reviews: 580 000 reasons to use crypto in South Africa – Coin Shuffle

Like you, we tend to get pensive when talking about our money. Times are tough. Belts are being tightened; the economy is limping and there’s an all-round sense of unease surrounding the financial futures of our homes. It doesn’t help that some people we won’t mention by name are accused of helping themselves to the collective coffers of the states they are leading. The elephant of financial mismanagement and allegations of corruption sit heavily in the room. Sounds familiar? That’s because we are joining in on the trending theme of repeating ourselves. We might have also picked up on another trend in the title, but that’s news for later. Promises and untruths aren’t the only thing being recycled it seems. So are ministers. Welcome to this week’s Straightforward Reviews: 580 000 reasons to use crypto in South Africa – Coin Shuffle.

This review is a bit late...

So was the President’s cabinet reshuffle speech. By a day, a week or an hour and a half. It depends on what you believe. The President seemed very tired, or at least annoyed, when he walked out to give the much anticipated speech. The country had been in a state of confusion having spent days without a Deputy President. The former Deputy President had handed in his resignation as a Member of the Parliament of South Africa, and subsequently as Deputy President, earlier in February. President Ramaphosa announced the resignation in his responses to the State of the Nation Address (SONA), citing his gratitude and appreciation to the Deputy President for his service.

The resignation of the Deputy President left a vacuum in the Presidency which led some in South Africa to panic on Friday the 3 rd of March when reports that the President was ill with flu surfaced. Media houses had announced that the awaited cabinet reshuffle would take place that Friday. When the reports came, they suggested that the President would not be able to continue with the cabinet reshuffle due to ill-health. Who would be the acting President? Some citizens were concerned. Concerns quickly turned to scorn when the President was later seen hosting an Ankole auction dinner in his Phala Phala farm, healthy as an ox. Sick with flu or sick of the job? To be fair, the President’s communications team had not sent out an official statement confirming the cabinet reshuffle speech nor his illness on Friday. This did nothing to quell the anxious anticipation citizens had for the cabinet reshuffle.

There were two notable expectations for the reconfiguration of the South African cabinet. Firstly, the country had no Deputy President. Secondly, the President had promised the country a Minister of Electricity as a response to the energy crisis driving the country into literal darkness. The third notable expectation was for a Minister of Crypto led by DoshFX but discussions surrounding this are still underway (stares blankly into the abyss).

Notable Changes to the South African Cabinet:

There were 12 changes in the President’s cabinet announced on Monday, with 10 new ministers and 11 new deputy ministers appointed.

Minister of Electricity – Dr Kgosientsho ‘Sputla’ Ramokgopa?

Dr Ramokgopa, more affectionately known as Sputla, was appointed as Minister of the new ministry of electricity. He is the former mayor of the city of Tshwane, a metropolitan municipality in the north of Gauteng, centered around the city of Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa. His academic qualifications include a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Durban-Westville now the University of KwaZulu Natal), a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pretoria, a Master of Business Leadership from Unisa and a PhD in Public Affairs from the University of Pretoria. Prior his appointment of Minister of Electricity, he was Head of Investments and Infrastructure in the Presidency. Dr Ramokgopa began his formal political career as an African National Congress ward councilor in the early 2000s. Will his long list of accolades and his inspiring story of rising from humble beginnings to power mean a rise in the power levels at Eskom and South African homes? The lights are still flickering on that. One thing is certain, he has a lot of bulbs to screw for his job to be done.

Deputy President of South Africa – Mr Paul Mashatile

In December 2022 Paul Mashatile was elected by delegates at the conference of the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), as its Deputy President. The election came with the expectation that he would ascend to the position of Deputy President of the country. After the resignation of former Deputy President David Mabuza, there were general speculations in the media that he would be the incoming Deputy President. After much delays and uncertainty, he was appointed as South Africa’s nineth Deputy President during the cabinet reshuffle.

Paul Mashatile is no stranger to the political realm, having served as Premier of Gauteng from 2008 to 2009, and as Minister of Arts and Culture from 2010 to 2014. He had also held various significant provincial positions in the Gauteng legislature prior to being appointed as their Premier. He has a long repertoire as a pre-democratic South African liberation fighter, having been detained without a trial by the apartheid government, remaining a political prisoner from 1985 to 1989. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in economic Principles from the University of London.

Other Cabinet Changes

a) Minister Maropene Ramokgopa (no relation to the Minister of Electricity) takes up the new ministry in the Presidency as Minister of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.

b) Minister Mondli Gungubele shifts from Minister in the Presidency to Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies.

c) Minister Thembi Nkadimeng gets a promotion from Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, to being the Minister of the same portfolio.

d) Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni also recycles from being Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies to being Minister in the Presidency, a direct swap with Minister Mondli Gungubele.

e) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma moves from being Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairst to being the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities at the age of 74.

f) Minister Noxolo Kiviet receives a promotion from being the Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure to being the Minister of Public Service and Administration.

g) The former Premier of KZN makes his debut in the cabinet as Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.

h) Former Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Minister Zihle Zikalala knocks former Minister Nathi Mthetha off the field and takes over as Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture.

i) Former Mayor of Cape Town and outgone Minister of Public Works Minister Patricia de Lille takes over from former Minister Lindiwe Sisulu whom has sat on the cabinet since 1994, as Minister of Tourism.

j) Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga receives a promotion from Deputy Minister of Transport to Minister of Transport taking over from former Minister Fikile Mbalula, who cannot hold a cabinet position after being elected in a full-time role as Secretary general of the ruling party, the ANC.

There were no new faces in the new cabinet list of President Ramaphosa. His face also did not seem renewed, which gave little hope for any significant change in the management of governance for the many South Africans who watched the speech. The President seemed to be lost in his thoughts, thinking about 580 000 things the South African Revenue Services could not find any record of maybe?

Another 580 000 things you will not find record of in this review are reasons to use crypto in South Africa. We don’t need that many. Here’s one. Cryptocurrencies use decentralized blockchain technologies that give you full control and oversight on the assets you invest in. That way you can decide how you want to shuffle your own coins. Remember, investing in cryptocurrencies is high- risk. Take precautions.