NUMSA STATEMENT ON CABINET RESHUFFLE AND SUSPENSION OF GENERAL BHEKI CELE
25 October 2011
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) broadly welcomes President Jacob Zuma's decision to relieve Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Sicelo Shiceka and Minister of Public Works Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, from their positions respectively. This is decisive leadership from President Zuma and it buries false alarm bells raised by unelected and bookish political commentators or analysts that President Zuma is indecisive or using this reshuffle to resolve the ANC electoral contest in Mangaung 2012. This is a false interpretation of President Zuma's action.
This decisiveness by President Zuma should not only be limited to Cabinet reshuffle, but we also need decisiveness in dealing with the triple crisis of poverty, unemployment and deepening inequalities in our country. The Cabinet reshuffle should be in sync with shifting the country away from the current neoliberal embedded economic policies framework and alter a new economic trajectory to drive industrialization and creation of decent jobs.
We welcome the appointments of Comrade(s) Thulas 'Thish'Omkhulu' Nxesi and Stella Ndabeni, as Minister of Public Works and Deputy Minister of Communications respectively. We also welcome the re-deployments of Comrade(s) Dina Pule, as Minister of Communications, Richard Baloyi, as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Roy Padayachee, as Minister of Public Administration and Services, Lechesa Tsenoli, as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Affairs. We wish the Comrades well and success in their new responsibilities of great service to the country, the liberation movement and the poor.
We also welcome the announcement of the Commission of Inquiry headed by a Judge on the Arms Deal.
Lastly we welcome the suspension of National Police Commissioner General Bheki Cele. We hope his suspension will not demoralize our great women and men in blue in fighting crime and building better and safe communities.
Contact: Castro Ngobese, National Spokesperson – 073 299 1595
Source
Numsa Press release