President Jacob Zuma's new Cabinet is bad news for South Africa, Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille said on Sunday.

Zille said although several "serial under-performers" of the Thabo Mbeki era had been dropped, others had been retained and in some instances "moved to crucial portfolios".

"With few exceptions, President Jacob Zuma's new Cabinet is bad news for South Africa," Zille said.

"In addition a host of sinecure deputy ministries have been created, more to solve the ANC's internal political problems at taxpayers' expense, than to add value to service delivery."

Zille said Zuma's decision to revamp the structure of Cabinet raised more questions than it provided answers.

"It remains to be seen whether the splitting of certain portfolios and the creation of a planning commission within the Presidency will have any positive effect on service delivery," she said.

Increased cost?

The Cabinet had grown substantially in size, to 34 ministers, adding a significant cost and administrative burden.

Of particular importance was the creation of a National Planning Commission based in the Presidency, Zille said.

"While the DA welcomes the appointment of Trevor Manuel as the head of the commission, we will fiercely resist any attempts by this Ministry or the newly created Cooperative Governance Ministry to undermine the constitutionally entrenched autonomy of the three spheres of government."

"We will also watch two critical new appointments very closely, namely that of Ebrahim Patel as the head of the newly created Ministry of Economic Development and that of Pravin Gordhan as the new Minister of Finance.

"We hope that these appointments do not herald a departure from sound macro-economic policy-making and implementation, and that there will not be a radical overhaul of economic policy, simply to appease Cosatu (the Congress of SA Trade Unions) and the SA Communist Party.

"President Zuma is heavily indebted to both these organisations for his political resurrection. The Cabinet is clearly structured to repay these debts.

Potential power struggle

If Zuma threatened international investor confidence by repaying political debts, it would be a serious setback for South Africa's attempts to weather the global financial crisis and establish a sound basis for future investment and economic growth, Zille said.

"It remains to be seen how much power the new Economic Development Department is granted, and to what extent this power may infringe on the previous responsibilities of the Department of Finance.

"If the Department of Finance has been downgraded to the role of mere budget-making, then this move constitutes a real concern."

Of particular concern was the appointment of Angie Motshekga as Minister of Basic Education and Blade Nzimande as Minister of Higher Education, Zille said.

'Infamous statement' on Malema

"Angie Motshekga is known for her infamous statement, in defence of (ANC Youth league leader) Julius Malema, that an education is not a necessary requirement for leadership.

"Blade Nzimande, as the Minister of Higher Education, is a Marxist ideologue, whose appointment raises concerns about the future of higher education in a global knowledge economy."

Zille said the DA was relieved that there was no place in the Zuma Cabinet for a number of ministers from the previous administration, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, Ngconde Balfour, Mandisi Mpahlwa and Charles Nqakula, whose tenures were "nothing short of disastrous".

"It is however, lamentable that Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has been shifted to the critical portfolio of Correctional Services when her time as Minister of Home Affairs saw her lurch lethargically from one crisis to another."

Certain appointments raised alarm bells for Zille.

One of these was the appointment of Susan Shabangu as Minister of Mining. Mining was a critical industry for South Africa's long-term economic growth.

Punishment for Hogan?

Another concern was the shifting of the highly effective Barbara Hogan from health to Public Enterprises. This appeared to be punishment for her outspoken comments on the Dalai Lama, Zille said.

The appointment of Jeff Radebe to the exceptionally important Justice Ministry was also a worry.

"Radebe has left a great deal of mess for his successor at the Department of Transport to deal with and it is unlikely that he will perform any better at the Department of Justice.

"Shabangu's appointment is concerning, given her woeful tenure as Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy."

Zille said the Cabinet needed to be given time before its performance could be properly judged.

"The DA, for its part, will watch each of these ministries very closely and hold them to account for any misstep. We will do everything in our power to ensure that each new minister respects the Constitution and that corruption and mismanagement is appropriately dealt with," she said.

Sapa

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