'Been there‚ done that' - Tito Mboweni rules himself out of Cabinet race

19 February 2018 - 10:00
By Staff Writer
Tito   Mboweni.
Image: Robert Tshabalala Tito Mboweni.

Developmental economist and South Africa's first black governor of the SA Reserve Bank‚ Tito Mboweni‚ says he will not be a contender for a cabinet minister position under new president Cyril Ramaphosa.

In the early hours of the morning‚ Mboweni took to Twitter to share: "Against the wisdom of my team‚ please don’t tell them this. It’s between us‚ I am not available for Minister of Finance.You cannot recycle the same people all over again. It is time for young people. We are available for advisory roles. Not cabinet. We have done that."

Many people felt his advice would be vital to help steer the economy in the right direction.

However‚ Mboweni‚ who also served as labour minister under former president Nelson Mandela‚ may have disliked some of the replies he got to his tweet - especially the references to age as he prepares to mark his 59th birthday. His birthday is coming up on March 16.

Ramaphosa is widely expected to pick a team of ministers that will support his aims as outlined in Friday's state of the nation address. The timing of a cabinet reshuffle is not known‚ as yet.