POPULAR and influential, a political leader with strong ties to the community he grew up in – but a man tainted by scandal and allegations of corruption.
This in a nutshell is Paul Mashatile, Cyril Ramaphosa’s new right-hand man and the man who could well be the next president of South Africa.
The 61-year-old was recently sworn in as deputy president along with other ministers who made the cut after Ramaphosa’s cabinet reshuffle – and South Africans can expect a very different deputy to the one whose shoes he has to fill.
David Mabuza nicknamed himself “the cat” after surviving a car crash but his nine lives were up when the ANC conference elected Mashatile as deputy president. Usually whoever is deputy of the ruling party is also
