Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was one of a number of ANC veterans left out of President Jacob Zuma's Cabinet on Sunday.

Madikizela-Mandela (72) had been widely tipped to take up a senior Cabinet post, after topping the ANC's National Executive Committee list at the party's Polokwane conference.

There was also no mention of the former and widely unpopular Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who was shifted to the Minister in the Presidency after the resignation of Thabo Mbeki as president last year.

Tshabalala-Msimang has been expected lose her Cabinet post.

Former Defence Minister Charles Nqakula was another who was left out. He was replaced by Lindiwe Sisulu, who will become the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena, of the Azanian Peoples' Organisation, was replaced by the former education minister Naledi Pandor.

There was also no mention of former public enterprises minister Brigitte Mabandla, who was justice minister under Mbeki.

Former correctional services minister Ngconde Balfour, former arts and culture minister Pallo Jordan, former trade and industry minister Mandisi Mpahlwa and former water affairs and forestry minister Lindiwe Hendricks were also all left out.

Enver Surty was demoted from justice and constitutional development minister to Deputy Minister of Basic Education.

Zuma named 34 ministries, compared to the 28 in former President Kgalema Motlanthe's Cabinet.

New additions to the Cabinet

Billionaire businessman and former Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale, named as Minister of Human Settlements, was one of the new faces in the Cabinet.

SA Communist Party leader Blade Nzimande was appointed as Minister of Higher Education and Training.

Former KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Sbu Ndebele was brought in as Minister of Transport in place of Jeff Radebe.

New Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies was promoted from deputy minister.

North West Premier Edna Molewa was named Minister of Social Development.

Pravin Gordhan, the commissioner of the South African Revenue Service, replaced Trevor Manuel as Minister of Finance.

Former Northern Cape Premier Dipuo Peters was promoted to Minister of Energy.

Former SA National Defence Force Chief Siphiwe Nyanda was named as the Minister of Communications.

ANC Women's League president and former Gauteng education MEC Angie Motshekga, who recently referred to the ANC breakaway Congress of the People as "dogs", was named as Minister of Basic Education.

Former deputy safety and security minister Susan Shabangu was promoted to Minister of Mining.

Former Gauteng finance MEC Paul Mashatile, who had been tipped as Gauteng premier, was given the lowly Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture position.

A strange choice?

Perhaps the least recognisable of all the new names was the new International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

Zuma insisted that Nkoana-Mashabane, whose ministry was renamed from foreign affairs, was not a "strange choice".

"I don't see why the choice is strange; to us it is not," Zuma said in reply to a question on the former Limpopo local government and housing MEC having limited foreign affairs experience.

"This is a cadre of the movement. A leader in a province who has been in the NEC."

Collins Chabane, the former MEC for economic development, environment and tourism in the Limpopo province, was named as the new Performance Monitoring and Evaluation and Administration Minister in the Presidency.

Eastern Cape MEC for agriculture Gugile Nkwinti, was named Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform.

The former MEC for education in Limpopo Aaron Motsoaledi, was named Minister of Health.

South African Clothing and Textile Workers (Sactwu) leader Ebrahim Patel, was named Minister of Economic Development.

A former Western Cape MEC for agriculture and land reform Tina Joemat-Peterson, was named as the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

Former National Education Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) president Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya was appointed as the Minister of Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities.