President Cyril Ramaphosa has added Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams to his Cabinet as the Minister of Communications.
The President announced changes to the National Executive on Thursday at the Union Buildings, with two serving Ministers being moved to new ministries and a new one being added.
The President has appointed Nomvula Mokonyane as the Minister of Environmental Affairs (previously Minister of Communications) and Dr Siyabonga Cwele was appointed as the Minister of Home Affairs (previously Telecommunications and Postal Services).
The changes to the National Executive have been occasioned by the passing away Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa and the recent resignation of the Minister of Home Affairs, Malusi Gigaba.
President Ramaphosa has also decided to merge the ministries of Communications and of Telecommunications and Postal Services into a single Ministry of Communications under new Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams, who served as Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services.
“This move is going to ensure that we have better alignment and coordination on matters that are critical to the future of our economy in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“The two departments that will report to the new ministry – namely, the Department of Communications and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services – will remain as separate departments until the end of the fifth administration,” the President said.
He said the decision to merge the two ministries is in line with the work that government has undertaken and in line with the announcement that he made during the State of the Nation Address about realigning government.
“In anticipation of the sixth democratic administration, we will have completed this work and when we have completed it… we will make a more comprehensive announcement on how we will realign government.
“The merging of Communications and Telecommunications and Postal Services is the first wave but it is also to help with the realignment process, which we need right now in order to put into effect the transformation that we are effecting with regards to economic management,” Ramaphosa said.
He said in making the changes to the national executive he was determined that the cabinet should have an appropriate mix of members with experience, capabilities as well as a gender and a generational mix.
He also announced the resignation from the National Executive of the Deputy Minister of Energy Thembi Majola, with effect from 1 January 2019, to attend to family commitments. – SAnews.gov.za
