Presidential contender blames her downgrade of the SA embassy in Israel for her demotion.
Tourism Minister – and would-be president – Lindiwe Sisulu suggested this week that President Cyril Ramaphosa had fired her as Minister of International Relations in 2019 because she implemented an ANC decision he didn’t like – to downgrade South Africa’s embassy in Israel to a mere “liaison office”.
Now return to 2019, when Sisulu was Pandor’s predecessor at the Department of International Relations. This week Sisulu suggested Ramaphosa had moved her to the lesser portfolio of tourism shortly after she implemented the controversial Israel decision of the 2017 ANC policy conference – where Ramaphosa was also elected as president of the party.
It took until April 2019 before Sisulu implemented the downgrade decision. The Jewish community reacted vociferously. A few months later, Ramaphosa shuffled his Cabinet and moved Sisulu to tourism. Mbeje asked if she was saying Ramaphosa removed her from her international relations portfolio because she had stood firm on the ANC resolution?
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “I won’t respond. Ministers have a direct line to the President wherein they can address whatever concerns they may have. It would be grossly unprofessional for the Presidency to engage in such a discussion in the public domain.” Milner also pointed out that although Sisulu and the ANC now refer to the South African government’s diplomatic mission in Tel Aviv as a mere “liaison office” it is still described as the “South African embassy” on the website of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
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