Ebrahim Patel, South Africa's Minister of Trade, Industry, and Competition, announced on Friday that he will step down from his cabinet position following the national elections on May 29.
"It has been a great honor to serve my country as a member of cabinet for 15 years and three terms of office," Patel said in a statement. "I have advised the President that I will conclude my service in cabinet at the end of this third term."
Patel's department supervises many regulatory and financial development organizations, one of which is the competition commission. The latter would have authority over any potential new offer by Australian miner BHP for Johannesburg-based Anglo American. If the merger is successful, BHP would gain about 10% of the world's copper mine supply, marking the company's return to major deals, according to media speculation.
Earlier in March, South Africa's Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, declared that he would not be able to continue serving in the next national executive following the election. Gordhan is responsible for overseeing state companies such as power provider Eskom and Transnet, a logistics corporation.
The national and provincial elections in South Africa will be held next Wednesday. Voting for South African citizens residing overseas began last Friday.