CHRISTABEL MOTSA, MESHACK SACKED, 10 PSs RESHUFFLED

OUT ... Christabel Motsa

Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini on Friday stepped on another gear in his Business Unusual theme, when he announced a shock reshuffle of Principal Secretaries in the different ministries.

He also announced the appointment of five new Principal Secretaries to enable the newly established ministries to have controlling officers of their own.
At least six Principal Secretaries have not been affected by the reshuffle, while two have been sent ekhaya or their future hangs in the balance.
The reshuffle has also seen long-serving Ministry of Public Works and Transport Principal Secretary Evart Madlopha, being transferred from that ministry to take up the reins at the Ministry of Public Service.
Also Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Sicelo Dlamini has been shifted to Economic Planning and Development, replacing Mbuso Dlamini who has been switched to the Prime Minister’s office.
At the Prime Ministers office, Dlamini will replace Lomathemba Hlophe who has since been transferred to the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
Paul Nkhambule who was at the Housing and Urban Development goes to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, while long serving Tourism Principal Secretary Mduduzi Magongo will take up the reins at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Bertram Stewart moves from Commerce Industry and Trade to the Ministry of Natural Resources where he will replace Lucy Dlamini who has since been moved to Tourism and Environmental Affairs.
Andreas Mathabela moves from the Deputy Prime Minister’s office to the Tinkhundla Administration and Development, while Cyril Kunene will move from Public Service to Commerce, Industry and Trade.
The new Principal Secretaries are Jinnoh Nkhambule who has been confirmed at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security after acting, while Khangeziwe Mabuza has also been confirmed at the Deputy Prime Minister’s office where she has also been acting.
Sibusiso Mkhonta who has been the Director of Education becomes Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, while Nathaniel Mahluza takes up the reins at Information, Communications and Technology. He also has been acting in the same capacity at the same ministry. Lesser known Thembinkosi Mamba becomes the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
Principal Secretaries who were not affected by the reshuffle are Dumsane Masilela at the Ministry of Finance, Dr John Kunene at Defense, Clifford Mamba at Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Pat Muir at Education and Training, Nomathemba Dlamini at Health and Dr Robert Thwala at Agriculture and Cooperatives.
Suddenly finding themselves in limbo is former Principal Secretary at Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Christabel Motsa and Meshack Shongwe who was at Home Affairs.
Shongwe has been sickly in the past few months and his sickness could have been the reason for his removal at Home Affairs. Both Shongwe and Motsa were still new in their positions and were hired under the Constitution which states that each PS has a five-year contract and government had confirmed during their appointments that they were appointed as such.
Five years has not yet elapsed.
Meanwhile Secretary to cabinet Sandile Ceko mentioned that since such appointments were made by the King, it would then naturally mean that an appointment was being revoked if your name does not appear in the new list. But once that is done, the legal people then take over and carve the way forward for that particular person concerning terminal benefits and other such like.
Ceko was responding to questions from this newspaper which wanted to know as to what will happen to those PSs who had contracts with government and whose end had not come by the time of the reshuffle.
He continued that with the performance contracts the PSs had signed at their previous ministries, the incoming ones would study whatever they found and continue with whatever they found.
“You must remember that there are other officers at a Ministry other than the PS. The contract details were crafted with the assistance of the other officers and the incoming PS will have to communicate with those officers and take forward whatever the previous one had drafted.
There may be room for improvement or alterations, depending on how he will negotiate this with the officers. What is certain is that the new PS will have to sign the contract so it can bind him/her despite that he/she found it there, upon arrival,“ he said

New Appointments:
Thembinkosi Mamba - Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Sibusiso Mkhonta - Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs
Jinnoh Nkhambule – Ministry of Labour and Social Security
Khangeziwe Mabuza - Deputy Prime Minister’s office
Nathaniel Mahluza - Information, Communications and Technology.

Reshuffled       Old     New
1. Evart Madlopha   Public Works   Public Service
2. Cyril Kunene   Public Service   Commerce, Industry and Trade
3. Betram Stewart     Commerce, Industry   Natural resources and Energy
4. Lucy Dlamini    Natural Resources    Tourism, Forestry, Environment
5. Mduduzi Magongo  Tourism, Forestry   Home Affairs
6. Mbuso Dlamini   Economic Planning   Prime Minister’s Office
7. Nomathemba Hlophe   Prime Minister’s Office  Justice and Constitutional Affairs
8. Sicelo Dlamini    Justice     Economic Planning and Development
9. Andreas Mathabela   DPM’s Office   Tinkhundla Administration and Dev.
10. Paul Nkhambule  Housing    Public Works and Transport

Ekhaya
Meshack Songwe – Home Affairs
Christabel Motsa – Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs