Mashatile stays on medical rest as office keeps running delegated work
The Deputy President says his recovery is on track and his office is carrying his delegated responsibilities while he rests on doctors' advice.
Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile is recovering well after a minor medical procedure and will keep resting until his doctors advise otherwise, his office has said.
In a statement to the public, Mashatile said he is regaining strength each day. He did not say when he expects to return to his duties in full, only that he looks forward to doing so with renewed energy and commitment.
The office keeps working
The statement is direct about how the Deputy President’s responsibilities are being handled in the meantime. Work and delegated responsibilities continue to be underway in his office, carried by what he described as the capable team there, together with other stakeholders in government, business and other sectors.
That is the arrangement the public record sets out. The statement does not name the officials holding those delegated duties, and it does not set a date for a full return.
I am pleased to share that my recovery is progressing well, and I am regaining strength each day.
Mashatile thanked his family, the medical team caring for him, his office team, his colleagues in government and in the ANC, and President Cyril Ramaphosa, along with the South Africans who sent messages of support. He said the prayers and encouragement had been a source of strength.
What the record does not say
The statement does not name the medical procedure, the hospital or the date it took place. It does not say how long the Deputy President is expected to rest. Those details are not in the public record, and this report does not add them.
What it does establish is the shape of the arrangement while he recovers. The office is working, the delegation is in place, and the Deputy President remains, in his own words, dedicated to the responsibilities entrusted to him.
For South Africans watching the machinery of state, the practical question is a simple one. The country has a Deputy President who is resting on medical advice and an office that says it is carrying his work. The statement gives the country both facts and asks it to take the arrangement on trust. It does not give the timeline that would let anyone measure it.
Mashatile closed by asking South Africans to continue working together for the progress of the country, and with a blessing on South Africa.
The next dated step in the public record will be the Deputy President’s return to his duties in full, which the statement says he looks forward to without saying when.
Source: South African Government (www.gov.za), Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile on his progressive recovery, 15 September, https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/deputy-president-shipokosa-paulus-mashatile-his-progressive-recovery-15-sep
