By: Natasha Archary

Newly appointed Defence Minister Angie Motshekga has become an overnight, online meme after President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his Cabinet on Sunday, 30 June.
Moving Motshekga from Basic Education Minister to Defence Minister shocked South Africans who questioned what the 69-year old’s experience to lead the portfolio is.
After her shortfalls under the Basic Education portfolio, South Africans took to social media to express their disbelief that Motshekga will be leading the country’s defence.
The former Basic Education Minister failed to address the systemic issues plaguing education including overcrowding of classrooms, quality teaching, unsafe infrastructure, dropouts amd the matric pass rate.
Motshekga also pushed for the proposed BELA Bill (Basic Education Laws Amendment) Bill to be implemented, sparking mass public outcry from parents and guardians who were opposed to the bill.
Under her tenure as Basic Education Minister, Motshekga led a department that reported an almost R1 billion irregular and fruitless expenditure budget.
Motshekga’s experience for the role has been questioned, with many wondering if the President appointed his Cabinet with the best candidates in mind or because he was just playing a numbers game.
The new Defence Minister will be assisted in her role by two Deputy Ministers, retired major general Bantu Holomisa from the UDM, and Richard Mkhungo.
It seems most South Africans felt Angie Motshekga as the new Defence Minister was a joke, and their reactions to the news resulted in her becoming an overnight online meme.
@crazyneobujwa Angie Motshekga Minister of Defence #parliament #parliamenthouse #parliamentofsouthafrica #trendingsouthafrica #trendingsouthafrica🇿🇦 #fypage #2024elections #2024election #2024elections ♬ original sound – Issues_Are_Many
@giftbozekana1 ♬ original sound – Gift Bozekana
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