African National Congress chief whip Nkosinathi Nhleko moves into Parliament’s backbenches following a third surprise reshuffle of top party officials within two months.
Former speaker Frene Ginwala was replaced, and was not sworn in as an ordinary MP after the April election. And Kader Asmal, the former education minister, was redeployed as parliamentary committee chairperson.
Nhleko’s move was officially announced in the National Assembly a short while after the ANC parliamentary caucus briefing. Speaker Baleka Mbete announced that Nhleko had ”resigned with effect of today” and introduced former minerals and energy committee chairperson Mbulelo Goniwe as the new office holder.
Also announced on Thursday was a change around of ANC committee chairpersons, the second in two weeks.
”I’m redeployed,” said Nhleko. ”The national leadership structures of the ANC are responsible for deployment.”
He refused to be drawn on what lay behind the surprise move, saying such decisions were informed by political and organisational priorities.
Nhleko’s move is set to raise eyebrows. With the exception of Tony Yengeni’s departure from office under the cloud of an arms deal-related corruption charge, for which he was later convicted, the redeployment of previous chief whips has been a step up.
In February 1997 Makhenkhesi Stofile was appointed Eastern Cape premier. His successor, Max Sisulu, was redeployed as deputy CEO of Denel in November 1998. Nhleko had replaced Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who became home affairs deputy minister, in May 2002.
Vytjie Mentor, last week appointed as a whip, becomes the new chairperson of the ANC parliamentary caucus.
Goniwe maintained that ”it’s just that the ANC had to rearrange” after the former chairperson of caucus, Joyce Kgoadi, became head of the National Council of Provinces.
Goniwe joined Parliament in 1994 and has, most recently, chaired the minerals and energy affairs committee. He is credited with helping to successfully steer through the controversial mining black empowerment legislation.
Mentor joined Parliament in the last session. This month she came into the public eye as a member of the parliamentary ad hoc committee on the public protector’s report on a complaint of Deputy President Jacob Zuma against national prosecutions head Bulelani Ngcuka.
The announcement of Nhleko’s move coincided with other changes among ANC MPs who chair study groups, effectively chairpersons of committees following their nomination when committees meet in the next term.
Asmal is in charge of defence, a move which comes just a couple of months after he was appointed chair of the ad hoc international relations committee.
The experienced former provincial and local government committee chairperson Yunis Carrim will now head the public enterprise committee.
Rob Davis, who chaired the trade and industry committee for 10 years, is now in charge of finance .
Connie September, the former trade unionist who was put in charge of trade and industry last week, will now chair the water affairs and forestry committee.