President Kgalema Motlanthe announced his new cabinent on Thursday — naming former National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete as his deputy and removing Manto Tshabalala-Msimang from health to the position of Minister in the Presidency.
The new health minister is respected veteran ANC MP Barbara Hogan.
The ACDP said on Thursday it was pleased that the majority of former
experienced cabinet ministers have been re-appointed by President
Motlanthe.
“This will ensure a smoother transition for the interim administration and should not disrupt service delivery (such as it is) unduly.”
The African Christian Democratic Party said the critical issues of crime, HIV-Aids, poor service delivery, poverty and unemployment must remain a high priority for the new cabinet.
“We cannot afford any further paralysis that has affected government under a lame-duck Presidency the past nine months since the Polokwane conference,” said Reverend Kenneth Meshoe, president of the ACDP.
Meshoe said he trusted that the new deputy president, former speaker of the national assembly, Baleka Mbete, would apply herself with the same commitment as she did as speaker to ensure that this did not happen.
“We are disappointed that President Motlanthe appointed certain ministers who failed to perform under the previous cabinet.” Meshoe said those who had failed to perform were Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula who was re-appointed as home affairs minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang who was appointed as minister in the presidency, and Brigitte Mabandla, appointed as minister of public enterprises.
However, Meshoe welcomed that Motlanthe made use of the opportunity to appoint new ministers to cabinet positions where there had been a clear lack of delivery. He mentioned safety and security, justice and constitutional development, health and Public Works, where new ministers were appointed.
