The Reverend Frank Chikane will stick with President Thabo Mbeki as head of his office almost until the end of his term. Cabinet has announced that Chikane’s contract has been extended for another three years.
His appointment was one of a number of senior appointments approved by Cabinet at its meeting this week. Chikane became director general in Mbeki’s office when Mbeki was still deputy president in 1996. He is a former leader of the United Democratic Front and has studied public administration at Harvard University. Besides being head of the Presidency, he is also secretary of the Cabinet.
Cabinet has also announced that Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu will extend his term as head of the Nepad secretariat by another year.
Earlier this year it was rumoured that Nkuhlu would leave at the end of his contract this year. He has been the driving force behind most Nepad projects and his departure would have been a big blow for an initiative still in its relative infancy.
Former North West premier Popo Molefe was appointed chairperson of the state arms acquisition agency, Armscor, and an additional member of the board.
Molefe stepped down as North West premier after serving two terms, and announced that he was going into the private sector.
Former CEO of SA Tourism, Cheryl Carolus, has been appointed chairperson of the board of South African National Parks. She has been replaced as SA Tourism CEO by Moeketsi Mosola, who was previously the organisation’s chief operating officer.
The contract of former Mpumalanga provincial minister January ”Che” Masilela as secretary of defence was extended by another three years.