President Thabo Mbeki announced a Cabinet reshuffle on Monday, following the death earlier this month of minister of public works Stella Sigcau.
”It was necessary to fill her [Sigcau’s] position, so I decided that we’ll do a small Cabinet reshuffle,” Mbeki said.
Sigcau’s post will now be filled by Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Thoko Didiza. The Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, Lulama Xingwana, will become Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs.
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Buyelwa Sonjica and Minister of Minerals and Energy Lindiwe Hendricks will swap positions.
Mbeki did not say who will take over the position of deputy minister of minerals and energy.
”They will be sworn in later this week, at which point they will take on their new responsibilities,” Mbeki said.
In reaction, AgriSA said it is difficult to bid farewell to Didiza after 10 years of cooperation.
”When you have worked together for so long within a sector, being involved in so many sensitive issues, a very special working relationship is forged,” said AgriSA president Lourie Bosman.
”We understand, however, that it is the president’s prerogative to allocate Cabinet portfolios and we trust his good judgement in this regard,” he said.
He said Xingwana’s academic and professional career attests to intellect and wide experience, which will serve as an advantage in her new portfolio.
”We wish to congratulate both Minister Didiza and Minister Xingwana and wish them the very best in their new positions,” he said.
The Freedom Front Plus said in a statement that it is concerned that South Africa, despite experiencing a sporadic energy crisis, has now been given its third minister of minerals and energy in 11 months.
The party’s spokesperson on minerals and energy, Willie Spies, said the ministry of minerals and energy is often in the public eye due to various crises over the past year, including the Mail & Guardian‘s revelations surrounding the so-called Oilgate scandal and the fuel shortages in December.
”The country is still holding its breath as to whether there would be sufficient amounts of electricity during this winter, which is expected to be one of the coldest in years, to provide in the escalating demand for electricity. In this regard, the minerals and energy department is being blamed for the crisis due to a lack of planning and timeous action,” Spies said.
The FF+ also said it is not in favour of Didiza being moved and the appointment of Xingwana as the new minister in her place.
”The FF+ does not doubt the abilities of Ms Xingwana, but is of the opinion that her appointment will only bring about a further delay in the land-reform programme,” said Pieter Groenewald, FF+ parliamentary spokesperson on agriculture and land affairs.
”Land reform in South Africa is an extremely sensitive issue, which has given rise to a number of problems. The land-reform process requires sensitivity and administrative effectiveness to prevent a Zimbabwe situation from developing.
”It will therefore take up quite a lot of time for the new minister to become acquainted with the land-reform process and with the problems being experienced. Ms Xingwana’s appointment will definitely bring about a further delay in the process, which cannot be tolerated by land owners and people who had instituted land claims,” Groenewald said.