While the intent of students at Oak Park and River Forest High School remains unclear, the photos were jarring enough that administrators withheld the books.
A high school in a Chicago suburb is spending more than $53,000 to reprint its 2018-2019 yearbook after staff discovered photos inside in which students were flashing the white supremacist “OK” hand sign.
Administrators at Oak Park and River Forest High School released a statement last week notifying parents that they were withholding the yearbooks from distribution after they discovered the photos, according to CBS Chicago.
This week, the Chicago Tribune reported that the high school will pay Jostens $53,794 to reprint the books and that the new versions are expected to be delivered to students by mid-June.
The racist adaptation of the “OK” hand sign began on 4chan ― an anonymous message board frequented by racists, trolls and extremists ― and has since been co-opted by prominent white supremacists who often use it to signal their presence to like-minded extremists. It’s prominent enough that those who use it have been fired from their jobs or faced other consequences ― recently, a Chicago Cubs fan was banned indefinitely from Wrigley Field after flashing the hand sign behind a black reporter during a live broadcast.
While the students’ intent was unclear and the photos weren’t made available, the content was apparently jarring enough that staff felt it necessary to reprint the yearbooks.
An email to parents, from school district Superintendent Joylynn Pruitt-Adams, notes that while the hand gestures could have been in reference to the classic schoolyard made-you-look “circle game,” its use by hateful people and ideologies led to the decision:
We’ve been made aware that this year’s ‘Tabula’ yearbook, which has not yet been distributed, contains several photos of students making a hand gesture that has different meanings. In some cases it’s used in what is known as the circle game. However, the gesture has more recently become associated with white nationalism. Regardless of intent, the potential negative impact of this gesture has led us to decide that we cannot distribute the yearbook as is. We are looking at alternative options, and in the coming days we will share further details about distribution plans. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and support as we work through this situation.
Apart from finding a way to be financially productive yourself, even if it is through opening an investment portfolio that your husband can give you initial money for, start by letting your husband know that you are concerned about what could happen to you and his dependents if anything happens to him, particularly as you are not gainfully employed and are totally dependent on him financially.
Hello Shade, I am a full-time housewife married to an international businessman. It is his choice that I stay home to tend to the home front, which I’ve come to embrace as my role. The problem is that as an educated wife, I think I’m supposed to know all my husband’s assets and properties, but he doesn’t tell me anything about them. I often feel he thinks I’m useless because I don’t work. Am I being unnecessarily paranoid? – Bisi, Ogun State
***
Dear Bisi,
Thank you for reaching out to me.
I understand that you feel under-appreciated by your husband, despite the fact that at your husband’s request, you have assumed the role of a full-time housewife.
In my opinion, your concerns are justifiable, because as a full-time homemaker who is completely financially dependent on your husband, such thoughts would pervade your mind. Perhaps this mental nudge is what you require to confirm if your husband has an estate plan in place. However, you must tread with caution to avoid being misunderstood.
Apart from finding a way to be financially productive yourself, even if it is through opening an investment portfolio that your husband can give you initial money for, start by letting your husband know that you are concerned about what could happen to you and his dependents if anything happens to him, particularly as you are not gainfully employed and are totally dependent on him financially. I believe this will set the tone for your husband to re-evaluate your current position as a full-time housewife. It would also prompt him to consider the options open to him toward planning his estate, including putting his will in place to determine how his assets will be distributed at the end of his life, and/or setting up a trust to cater for your welfare and that of other dependents.
I hope I have been able to help you out in some way.
The U.S State Department has announced that applicants for U.S visas will have to submit their social media names and five years’ worth of email addresses and phone numbers as part of the application process.
BBCreports that the proposal would affect about 14.7 million people annually.
Some diplomatic and official visa applicants will be exempt from the new rules.
“We are constantly working to find mechanisms to improve our screening processes to protect US citizens, while supporting legitimate travel to the United States,” the department reportedly said.
Gulf News reports that the U.S Embassy in Abu Dhabi confirmed the news. It quoted the embassy as saying:
This update — which we initially announced last year in the Federal Register — is a result of the President’s March 6, 2017, Memorandum on Implementing Heightened Screening and Vetting of Applications for Visas and other Immigration Benefits and Section 5 of Executive Order 13780 regarding implementing uniform screening and vetting standards for visa applications.
We already request certain contact information, travel history, family member information and previous addresses from all visa applicants. Collecting this additional information from visa applicants will strengthen our process for vetting these applicants and confirming their identity.
In that past, only people who needed additional scrutiny are requested to submit their social media names.
The Kaduna State Executive Council has approved six months maternity leave for all new mothers in the state.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai announced this on his twitter handle. He wrote’
”I am pleased to announce that just yesterday, our State Executive Council approved six months maternity leave for our female public servants. This encourages the healthy development of infants through prolonged breastfeeding, among other benefits”.
Asisat Oshoala has signed up with Barcelona Ladies from Chinese club Dalian Quanjian on a three-year parmanent contract, Completesports.com reports.
Oshoala, 24, spent the second half of the 2018-19 season on loan with Barcelona Ladies from Dalian Quanjian. The Nigeria international scored eight goals in 11 games in all competitions for the Blaugrana.
She also scored the only goal in Barcelona Ladies’ 4-1 defeat to Olympic Lyon in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in Budapest this month.
The forward won the Chinese Women’s Super League title with Dalian Quanjian in 2017. Oshoala was also part of the Arsenal Ladies side that won the the English FA Cup crown in the 2015/2016 season.
On the international scene, she has won three Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Cup with the Super Falcons. The former Rivers Angels star is expected to feature for Nigeria at the next month’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France.
Mariam Momodu Is an international trade lawyer, Ph.D. candidate, education advocate and CEO of Get In Education Consulting. She obtained her degree in law from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2012 and went on to become the first female president of the law faculty students’ association in over 30 years of the association’s existence. In addition, she also graduated with the best result ever recorded from the law faculty in Ibadan in 35 years and won about 10 prizes upon graduation. To date, her academic record has not been beaten. However, the law students association has had another female president since my tenure. In 2015, Mariam obtained a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree from the University of Cambridge, where she was awarded the prestigious Commonwealth Shared Scholarship and the Cambridge Trust Scholarship. She is now a Doctoral Candidate at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Where she specialize in international trade law. Last year, she was awarded the most prestigious scholarship for doctorate candidates in Canada, the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship., making her the only black person from the University of Toronto to be awarded that honour and one of the 6 scholars of African descent in the whole of Canada that was given this award.
The scholar whose Inspiring story went viral weeks back shares her journey with me in this mind blowing interview.
Growing Up
I was very fortunate to be raised in a family that valued education. My father died when I was very young, but my mother was determined to provide the best education that she could afford. My siblings were also my mentors as they encouraged me to excel in my chosen endeavours and always provided the necessary resources.
I would read my sister’s novels, read books I found in my brother’s rooms and devour books that my mother would borrow weekly from the British Council Library. I remember when I turned 10 years old, I was asked what gift I wanted… I asked for more novels and books and I got them. Apart from being very academic, I have always been interested in looking for ways to improve my community.
In addition, I have been blessed to have encouraging teachers who took an interest in my education and always went beyond the average to ensure I succeeded. From Mrs. Obajimi of Sonbeam Preparatory School, to my teachers at the International School Ibadan, teachers at the Educational Advancement Centre, Ibadan as well as the lecturers at the faculty of law, University of Ibadan and the Nigerian law school. My teachers always encouraged me to be inquisitive and achieve my dreams, so I credit them for a lot of the success I have achieved today.
Mariam Momodu at the Arab and African Youth Forum
Breaking 30 years record at the University of Ibadan
When I graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2012, I graduated with a 6.7/7 which is the highest CGPA ever recorded from the law faculty in over 30 years. I am eagerly waiting to meet the student who will break the record, as it is long overdue!
In reality when I entered UI, my goal was to graduate with a 7.0, a perfect score from the law faculty. I remember confiding in two senior students about my goals and they laughed at me! They told me it was impossible and if I was going to make a first class from the law faculty, the best I would obtain was a grade close to 6/7. Once I got that negative feedback, I realised I was being like Joseph in the Bible who was sharing his dreams with the wrong people. I decided to keep this dream in my head and continue to work.
I eventually did not finish with a 7.0 largely because I was involved in politics in my 4th year (and that took a lot of time from my studies) but I am proud to say that in my 3rd year, my CGPA was 6.96/7 and in my 5th year, my CGPA was also 6.9/7. So even though I aimed for the moon and did not hit it, at least, I fell among the stars and was able to break the existing record. My academic record in the University of Ibadan opened the door for me to obtain a masters in law from the University of Cambridge on a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship. I would also argue that my grades from university continue to open doors for me today.
I really love that I went to the University of Ibadan. I am the first to admit that the education sector in Nigeria needs a lot of work (and the change needs to start from the government) but I must admit that despite difficulty with funding and so on, University of Ibadan is one of the schools in Nigeria that continues to uphold a very high standard of education. I knew the current vice-chancellor while I was a student and he was one of the people who, in my experience would listen to students’ concerns. I have maintained a relationship with him and my professors in the law school and from time to time I communicate with them to give feedback on my progress or to ask for advice.
I was happy that the school administration shared my story and more importantly, I was very humbled when I read messages from people who were inspired by my story.
Canadian Scholarship & it’s impact as a black woman in a foreign land
I was ecstatic when I received the Vanier last year. We could not announce the award for a while, so I was just sitting on good news! When I applied for the scholarship, I hoped I would win because winning the scholarship will send a signal to other people like me that they too can succeed in academia no matter who or where they were.
The Vanier is a very competitive scholarship that ranks students based on their leadership potential, academic record as well as the potential of their doctorate research. Candidates go through several rounds of application starting from the faculty level to the university level and then national level. I am very thankful that I was nominated by my faculty as this started the process. Apart from my research potential, I really believe my application stood out because of my academic record as well as my leadership experience.
As a student and even after I graduated from University, I always pushed myself to make improvements no matter where I was. In primary and secondary school, I was selected as the head-girl because of my leadership potential and in University I was also elected as the President of the Law Students’ Society, the first woman to be so elected in over 30 years.
For me, leadership has always been about service and trying to make my immediate environment better and it was quite interesting to see that my past leadership experience played a huge role in getting the scholarship.
This is actually the first time I am thinking of it as a viral story! I would say the reception has been very positive. Many people have asked how they can achieve the same or similar goals and I am inspired to continue to provide support to other people through my company Get In Education Consulting (www.getineduconsulting.com) as well as on a personal basis.
My Inspiration
I think I am inspired by problems. I describe myself as an “extra” person because I am always thinking of the next problem to solve. Any Nigerian that is immune to the problems of the country needs to wake up! My core areas of interest are international trade (particularly intra-African trade and improving connectivity in Africa) ,which is the core of my PhD Thesis , as well as education, which is the core of the business I run at GetIn Education Consulting.So, I am inspired to act when I see problems as my interests are driven by the problems that need to be solved in these areas.
Apart from my family, I am also inspired by people who have overcome adversity and are giving back. Dr. Deola Olubamiji is one of my mentors and people like her inspire me to do more.
Reward
I think the greatest reward is seeing someone say “you inspired me to pursue XYZ”. A lot of people reach out to me online, particularly on Instagram @mariammomodu_ and they tell me how I inspired them to pursue their dreams, study hard or achieve a goal and this is very rewarding.I was also very happy when another woman was elected as the president of the law students’ society in UI, because it showed that the glass ceiling had been broken there.
Challenges of being a female scholar trying to break boundaries both home and abroad
I have faced several challenges and I am still facing several! One of the biggest challenges has been adjusting to a new environment with new expectations. Academia is a constant learning curve for me. So, I need to really know how to conduct myself as an academic and ensure I am ticking the right boxes that will make me competitive after school. Funding is also a big challenge for many people, but thankfully, the Vanier came through!
On Giving up
There have been so many moments! January this year I had to prepare for an examination that would determine whether I progressed to the next level of the PhD. It was very intense and there were many days I questioned if I was doing the right thing, but in the end, I came out successful. Also, during the PhD, you have to apply for grants, submit papers and apply for workshops. I am successful with many applications, but I also face rejection. Initially, I used to be bothered by rejection, but now, I know the path to success is filled with rejection, so I have to persevere no matter how I feel.
Being a Woman of Rubies
I am a woman of rubies because I am not defined by what I own or what you can see. I am so much more. I am a woman who keeps striving to make an impact on her environment by touching one life at a time with the hope of making my corner of the world better.
Advice for women who are scared to break boundaries and be more
If the voice in your head is not encouraging you, then don’t listen to it! A lot of times, we are holding ourselves back because we think we are inadequate when we are actually more than enough. Research has shown that black women are more likely to have feelings of inadequacy compared to many other groups of people and these feelings of inadequacy have has been described more technically as imposter phenomenon.
I know fear can be crippling, but you have to find a way to overcome it. What I do is to keep myself accountable by sharing my dreams with those who understand my vision. I have mentors that encourage me and chastise me as needed. I am also learning to live “uncomfortable”. This means that I am constantly reaching for things that I think are difficult to achieve no matter how I feel.
Appreciation of Black Women
I think black women need to stop waiting to be appreciated. Instead we need to just be who we are “boss babes!” You don’t need anyone’s permission to excel. Neither do you need permission to be proud of your achievements. Where you need to, demand your accolades, demand that promotion and so on, but do not wait for external validation before you appreciate yourself.
If I could change one thing in the Education Sector
Education should be fun. Students should be excited to go to school because there is something for them; something that can relate to. If I could change one thing, I would change the kind of syllabus we have in many universities in Nigeria. I would work to decolonise our syllabus and make it contextual to Africa and the 21st century. Oh, I would also ensure that 30% of Nigeria’s budget for the next 30 years is dedicated to education.
How to reach me
I enourage readers to visit www.getineduconsulting.com and read all the free resources we have available, as well as inspiring stories that can get you started on your journey to using education as a tool to change your life. Also follow @getinedu on Instagram and Twitter as well as @mariammomodu_ on Instagram
So, you think boys don’t need attention? Think again
The Affirmed Boy, is a book by Nigerian writer Queenette Enilama, that could change the way we raise our boys. At a time when the negative effects of social media and peer pressure, are wreaking havoc on the developmental process of the boy child, The Affirmed Boy is a book that gives boys an affirmation that they are enough and do not need to succumb to all the pressure to belong.
They can be positive influencers and immune to negative influence. Each page contains a unique lesson, in the form of an affirmation, that tackles a specific challenge in the life of a growing boy. Following the declaration of the affirmation, there is a supporting biblical scripture and a short but boy-tailored prayer, he would love to say. The affirmation page is followed by a Notes page where the reader can write thoughts and feelings about the lesson learned that day. Each page is colorful, with images to enhance its aesthetic value and make for a pleasurable read. At the end of the book, the affirmed boy would have begun to discover himself and develop self-awareness, self-worth and self-confidence, as well as, a well-rounded and emotionally sound.
The Affirmed Boy is a daily companion developmental book for boys between the ages of 6 and 14 years.
The Affirmed Boy is published by TAF PUBLISHING VENTURES Published: 18/05/2019 Available online at https://paystack.com/pay/affirmationforboys or you can pay into Zenith Bank account 2008632045, then send request, with proof of payment to WhatsApp at the number listed below. Queenette Enilama is a writer, certified Emotional Intelligence Coach and Co-Founder of the “NoBoyLeftBehind” Initiative, with a contagious passion for the boy child. She has written several stories, reviewed on a number of online platforms and is set to launch a series of E-books in the coming months. Her No Boys Left Behind initiative, trains, and grooms young boys and teenagers into excellent young men, with a different and responsible perspective on society. For more information about The Affirmed Boy, or to schedule an interview, with Queenette, please contact her on 09096780595 or email her at qenilama@gmail.com
In the Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, the authors prescribed that in creating moments with our kids, we should ask them to plan an entire 24-hour day, and we parents must do everything that has been planned out by them, so long as it is not unsafe, immoral or illegal, of course.
On Children’s Day this year, I decided to ask my four-year-old what he would like to spend his holiday doing, per foods, outings, and activities. He had some great ideas per activities, one of which was following me to the gym. However, the one activity I am sure he truly relished was the cartoon I let him watch for about 45 minutes on YouTube.
You see, I recently completely eliminated screen time from his life. I saw that he was getting addicted to cartoons, and I was beginning to see it affect his concentration levels, especially when it was time to do more serious activities like homework. And I take some blame for it, because I started to relax my grip on really rationing screen time, sometimes allowing him and his one-year-old brother go hours on end from Disney Junior to Nick Junior and Cartoon Network and back.
Every mama knows this is an easy way to get these kids off our backs, especially those who ask questions about everything. Well, I was ready to fix that, and after careful consideration, I decided that a complete elimination at home was best to help me achieve my goal, as opposed to just a reduction or rationing. As a result, all the cartoon stations were gone, and so were the YouTube privileges on my phone. I figured that when he had lost the taste for it, I could then re-introduce it and ration it brutally.
I saw the effect on his life almost immediately. Oh, of course, he protested at first, but this mama was adamant. Soon he started to adjust, then we filled those hours with other activities like playing outside, playing with toys inside, reading, and writing. Yes, this placed even more demand on my time, but any time I spend investing in my kids and actually training them, without passing the responsibility over to Nickelodeon, is absolutely worth it. I saw his concentration levels increase, and he generally did better work. Recently, he did an assessment examination at a school and he passed brilliantly with As. I also noticed that he asked more intelligent questions, and his love for being read to increased. He was no longer forced to read or listen to me read to him, he would actually request that I read to him daily. Something that should make my friend, Farida Ladipo-Ajayi, who is an advocate for children reading, very happy.
Did I even mention that his very poor attention span had even become a prayer point for me. Seeing that transformation really wowed me (and taught me that, sometimes, my prayers reflect a lack of wisdom already available to me).
So, basically, I cut down on screen time for my son, introduced other beneficial activities to fill the time, and I saw improvements in major areas of his life.
Then I had a déjà vu moment when I actually did the same thing in my own life. My entire 24-hour-day was full of screen time. I hated that I was a stay-at-home mom. It was made even worse with the fact that I was a literal ‘Most Likely to Succeed,’ having made a first class and gotten my dream job with the United Nations, only to lay it all down sacrificially as my new mommy season demanded. With no external schedule placing a demand on my time, I filled it with the screen: TV shows, movies, blogs, social media and more. Then one day I had a brain reset and completely shut down the screen. No movies, TV programs, Instagram, blogs, Facebook or Twitter. I felt cut away from the world, and yes, I did miss some important information, but the world didn’t end. In fact, my own world started to come alive again. My brain started to think up more possibilities and ideas beyond comparing my life to someone else’s. I rekindled my love for reading, and boy, did I read or what?
Our finances also started to do more for us, since I was no longer under the pressure to have what was in vogue on the ‘gram. After all, who misses what they don’t see? In fact, I was so out of tune with most happenings in the social scene that if I took an assessment exam based on that, I would have scored parallel Fs. But guess who was winning in the exams of her personal life? Me.
Ah, those private victories! They also bear public testimonies. In that season, my brain had upgraded to do the kind of deep work that gave me a thriving home-based business, platforms I could never have been on (like BellaNaija), and basically a life that still astounds me with how much fruit it bears.
Just maybe some of us are unable to start, complete or see through that brilliant idea that has been stewing in our brains because of the endless hours we spend online. Just maybe those applications have been getting more rejects than they should because the quality of our work is weak, no thanks to the state of our screen-filled grey matter. Screen time has cost us deep work, which really is the game changer, whether at home or in the corporate world. In fact, this is good place to throw in this quote from Deep Work, a book by Cal Newport I highly recommend:
Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It’s a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep, spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realising there’s a better way.
I didn’t know this at the time, but my completely eliminating unnecessary screen time made me do the kind of deep work that has brought me so many results in my life today. Deep work and social media cannot exist together; they are strange bedfellows.
These days, I enjoy a bit of screen and social media time, but in controlled measures. You see, I have lost my taste for a lot of things that interested me then, and I know my son, too, will. Until I lost that taste and got a better grip, I didn’t turn on the screen again. Today, I am no longer overwhelmed by everything online, thereby allowing my brain do deep productive work, and even giving me time to engage in the real relationships with my family and friends.
So dear Stay-at-Home mom, maybe you too need a social media break.
Rihanna’s luxury clothing line Fenty is the first luxury line helmed by a woman of color at fashion conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH). Accordingly, Rihanna took that groundbreaking spirit and infused it into every detail of Fenty’s first collection.
In conversation with Vogue UK, Rihanna spoke about the campaign’s imagery,which draws inspiration from the 1960s Black Is Beautiful movement. In the images, Rihanna takes us to history class, as she juxtaposed her models directly against vintage photographs by Kwame Brathwaite. In the 1950s and 60s, Kwame was a photographer who documented the cultural richness of Harlem’s African-American community. He also organized pageants to celebrate Black beauty; the pageants were so successful that they ran for five years and inspired the term Black is Beautiful.
“When I was coming up with the concept for this release, we were just digging and digging and we came up with these images,” Rihanna told Vogue UK. “They made me feel they were relevant to what we are doing right now,” adding that she received permission for Kwame (who is now 81) to use the images. “It was a really strange and powerful parallel.”
That parallel plays out in the stark campaign images. Using Kwame’s photos of the Grandassa models — a group of pageant models and activists who promoted the Black is Beautiful idea — Rihanna tied together historical depictions of Black women and the Fenty aesthetic. In one image, Nomsa Brathwaite (Kwame’s sister-in-law) wears a headwrap and a long chandelier earring; next to her, Rihanna’s models play together in white power suits, wearing rhyming earrings.
Ultimately, the campaign serves as a necessary reminder that, at one time, Black beauty was not widely promoted or accepted as activists had to fight for visibility and acceptance of African-American features and styling. Even today, beauty diversity is still nowhere close to where it needs to be — though Rihanna, through her makeup and clothing, has been instrumental in encouraging accessibility in the fashion industry.
Still, Rihanna is careful to explain that while her clothes embrace the legacy of black creatives, they aren’t necessarily meant to be political themselves. “Well, I don’t know if it’s political so much as embracing the fact that people should be more aware,” she said. “But definitely, we want people to see the parallels between what was then and what this is now, in a modern way.” And Fenty’s clothes are definitely modern, with their sharp tailoring and monochromatic colors.
Courtesy of FentyCourtesy of FentyCourtesy of Fenty
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday cut the number of cabinet ministers from 36 to 28, in a move he said would tackle the country’s “bloated” government and improve efficiency.
AFPSouth African President Cyril Ramaphosa trims the cabinet and appoints women to have the positions as he seeks to get the country back on track
Half the new ministers are women, making South Africa one of the world’s few gender-balanced governments.
Ramaphosa announced the new line-up after he led the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party to victory in elections earlier this month.
He took office last year after the ousting of graft-tainted Jacob Zuma, who had expanded the number of ministerial posts in an alleged attempt to strengthen his patronage network.
“To promote greater coherence, better coordination and improved efficiency, we (are) reducing the number of ministers from 36 to 28,” Ramaphosa said in televised address to the nation.
“This is a significant move of downscaling our state. Many people believed our government… was bloated and this was agreed right across the board.”
In another dig at his predecessor, Ramaphosa said that the ANC had been re-elected with a mandate to end “state capture” — the term used to describe government corruption under Zuma.
“All South Africans are acutely aware of the great economic difficulties our country has been experiencing,” Ramaphosa said.
“It is therefore imperative… we place priority on revitalising our economy while exercising the greatest care in the use of public funds.”
“For the first time in the history of our country, half of all ministers are women,” he added.
Balance of factions
Naming his new slimline cabinet, Ramaphosa kept internationally-respected Finance Minister Tito Mboweni in place, as well as his controversial Deputy President David Mabuza.
Mabuza is seen as a pro-Zuma figure whose name has come up in media reports on alleged corruption and political killings when he was premier of the eastern province of Mpumalanga.
“The retention of Tito Mboweni as finance minister… will appease markets and result in a positive perception of cabinet,” said a briefing note from Peregrine Treasury Solutions, a South African investment company.
It added that keeping Mabuza as deputy president “indicated that President Ramaphosa had to compromise to appease the Zuma faction within the ANC.”
Ramaphosa’s close ally Pravin Gordhan was kept on as public enterprises minister, a key role as debt-laden state companies were at the centre of alleged graft schemes under Zuma.
“The cabinet announcement largely rewards the President’s supporters and seems a conservative selection without the injection of real fresh blood from the outside,” said analyst Daniel Silke on Twitter.
Ramaphosa, 66, an anti-apartheid activist who became a wealthy businessman, faces a tough battle to drive through reforms in a country suffering from chronic unemployment, racial tension and crime.
The ANC won the May 8 election with 57.5 percent of the vote, its smallest majority since it led the fight against the apartheid regime that was replaced by multi-racial democracy in 1994.
The party’s celebrated reputation was badly sullied under Zuma’s 2009-2018 rule as it was confronted by multiple corruption allegations and public anger over the failure to tackle post-apartheid inequality.
South Africa’s economy grew just 0.8 percent in 2018 and unemployment hovers at over 27 percent — soaring to over 50 percent among young people.
