Department of Transport and Community Safety, MEC Florence Radzilani taking an oath at Limpopo High Court.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the province joined the South African Communist Party (SACP) in rejecting the Premier Stanley Mathabatha cabinet, which came ‘after a sham consultation that was done with COSATU by the ANC just an hour before the announcement was made,’ the labour federation statement read.
In the view of COSATU, the cabinet reconfiguration had nothing with the advancement of the imperatives of service delivery but had all to do with the outcomes of the ANC provincial conference held in June 2022. “This is a consolidation of factions rather than seeking to eliminate them and rewarding those who belonged to the faction that won and purging those who are seen to have lost conference,” the statement elaborated.
COSATU reiterated its position that it is not going to support individuals tainted with corruption to assume positions of responsibility in government and other state institutions. The federation will engage with the structures, components of the alliance and other progressive formations to campaign vigorously against shenanigans in the government as well as all forms of corruption and malfeasance as they rob communities of their livelihood and development.
In the same vein as the SACP, COSATU called on Mathabatha to reverse the latest appointments to the provincial executive council, and on the justice system to swiftly deal with all cases of crime and corruption.
The cabinet reshuffle has not met any favour from alliance partners with downright rejections by the SACP, followed by COSATU. Only the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO) has remained mum on the reshuffle like the ANC Veterans, Youth and Women’s Leagues.
Meanwhile, the newly appointed MEC of Transport and Community Florence Radzilani only took her oath of office on Tuesday, as the third of the newcomers to the reconfigured provincial executive council. She was out of the country at the time of her appointment.
Radzilani is no newcomer to the executive council. She served briefly as MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison under the Premier Cassel Mathale administration. President Jacob Zuma recalled Mathale and replaced him with Mathabatha, then ambassador to Ukreaine.