South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Angie Motshekga, the country’s Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, as Acting President.
The announcement was made on Wednesday via a statement posted by the South African Presidency on its official X (formerly Twitter) account.
The decision comes as both President Ramaphosa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile are currently out of the country on official engagements.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Ms Angie Motshekga, to serve as Acting President of the Republic of South Africa during the concurrent absence from the country of both the President and the Deputy President,” the Presidency stated.
The move was made in line with Section 90(1) of South Africa’s 1996 Constitution, which provides a legal framework for assigning presidential responsibilities when both the President and Deputy President are unavailable.
President Ramaphosa is on an official visit to Ireland and is expected to participate in the Global Gateway Forum in Brussels, Belgium on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
During his absence, Motshekga will handle presidential duties in an acting capacity.
This orderly transition stands in contrast to a similar situation in Nigeria last October, when public concern arose after both President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima were simultaneously outside the country.
Tinubu was on vacation in the UK, while Shettima was attending official meetings in Sweden.
Despite criticism about a potential power vacuum, the Nigerian Presidency at the time assured citizens that constitutional provisions did not mandate either leader to be physically present in Nigeria to carry out their duties.
