President Cyril Ramaphosa finally wielded the axe and strengthened his grip on the state by putting his most trusted allies in key positions.

The ascendance of the president’s trusted allies in senior posts is a clear indication that Ramaphosa has his sights on the second term as president of the country and the ANC, and the new appointments are the people who will make him achieve that.

One of his closest allies, Enoch Godongwana, is now in charge of the public purse. Godongwana is the brains behind the economic recovery plan, and his rise to the finance ministry will enable him to implement the plan he drafted in his capacity as chair of the ANC’s NEC sub-committee on economic transformation...