Free State provincial cabinet leaves much to be desired
28 May 2019
The Democratic Alliance are concerned, but by no means surprised, by the appointments named by Premier Sisi Ntombela in selecting her provincial cabinet for the 6thadministration of the Free State province. Whilst the Democratic Alliance remained optimistic, the harsh reality is that the governing party does not possess the pool of experience and expertise which are required to govern the province effectively.
The announcement of the cabinet indicates that the Premier is not committed to cutting executive costs since the portfolios remain at ten. The portfolios consist of only 5 former MEC’s of whom Maki Mahasa and Mamiki Qabathe remain controversial. Qabathe was the former MEC for Agriculture who was responsible for the implementation of the controversial Vrede Dairy Project and Maki Mahasa is known for her absence from her executive responsibilities. The other 5 members of the cabinet are new to the Legislature and therefore have no experience or institutional knowledge of either the Legislature or the Departments for which they are responsible.
There remains an exorbitant amount of work that needs to be conducted by the newly appointed cabinet members towards eradicating a culture of corruption and malfeasance in the province in order to prioritise service delivery and unemployment in the Free State. The Democratic Alliance hopes that the honeymoon period is short-lived, and that the Premier together with her cabinet can diligently proceed in undertaking their administrative responsibilities.
The Democratic Alliance in Free State Legislature shall continuously conduct oversight and hold politicians accountable in our capacity as being the Official Opposition. As a constructive opposition we shall pursue and implement our blueprint of sound alternatives to promote a prosperous and united Free State Province during the 6th term of the Free State Legislature.
Issued by Roy Jankielsohn, DA MPL and Leader of the Official Opposition, 28 May 2019
