By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Limpopo Premier Stan Mathabatha has reshuffled his provincial executive council with three MECs fired on Thursday. The swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed MECs will be held tomorrow.
Mathabatha’s latest political move follows instructions from the provincial ANC leadership that provincial treasurer Nakedi Sibanda-Kekana and deputy provincial chairperson Florence Radzilani should be given positions in the provincial government executive.
Radzilani and Sibanda were recently elected at the provincial conference in June.
Radzilani has been awarded the transport and community safety portfolio while Sibanda-Kekana serves as the MEC for sports, arts and culture.
This is the reshuffle by Mathabatha who fired two Cabinet members following his re-election as ANC provincial chairperson in June.
The affected MECs are Dickson Masemola; Polly Boshielo and Thandi Moraka.
Masemola, who challenged and lost the position of provincial ANC chairperson to Mathabatha, is headed to Parliament’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
Mathabatha is said to have refused to pull the trigger two months before the May conference, when the performance reviews came in. He is said to have told those around him the move could have been interpreted as him acting against those challenging him at the then-looming conference.
The ANC in the province welcomed the cabinet reshuffle, saying it would help improve service delivery.
“The ANC Limpopo has no doubt that the changes will not only improve the provincial capacity to deliver basic services to our people but will also accelerate the pace in which services are delivered,” the PEC said in a statement.
The ANC has also made changes to its legislature and Parliament deployments.