Cadre deployment has led to the government's intervention in three provinces under national government control, opposition parties said on Tuesday.

"The actual problem is the ANC's policy of cadre deployment, with too few capable cadres to cover all governing fronts, many of which should actually be managed by apolitical technocrats," said Christian Democratic Party (CDP) leader Theunis Botha in a statement.

"In fact, this was admitted in the 2010 report of the ANC's subcommittee on provincial and local government," he added.

Democratic Alliance member of the Gauteng provincial legislature Mike Moriarty said employing incompetent people was holding the province back.

"Gauteng's inability to carry out infrastructure projects arises from incompetent people presiding over the portfolio of projects that must be carried out. It is not a lack of money that is the problem, but rather an inability to manage projects.

"The only effective way to deal with such problems is to discipline non-performers and hire competent people, not cadres," he said in a statement.

On Monday, Cabinet announced that the national government would intervene in some areas of the Free State, the health department in Gauteng, and five provincial departments in Limpopo under the Constitution.

Business Day suggested on Wednesday that national government's move to take control of five provincial departments in Limpopo was partly to fix crippling service delivery problems but also a political move.

It would allegedly strengthen President Jacob Zuma's hand in the political infighting with Limpopo premier Cassel Mathale, who supports ANC Youth League president Julius Malema.

The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) welcomed Cabinet's move.

"We have in the past called for thorough-going investigations into some Limpopo departments and we would be happy for any bail-out to be linked to arrests and the dismissal of the culprits behind the mess," Cosatu spokesperson Patrick Craven said in a statement.

"We are marching in Limpopo against corruption, and must emphasise that our march has nothing to do with ANC factional battles linked to the ANC conference," he said.

Moriarty said Cabinet had recognised that nothing had improved in the provincial health department despite measures put in place by Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane.

"Premier Mokonyane's government has tried several ways to deal with problems that have been around for years. Whatever they have done has not worked, and the Cabinet has obviously recognised this," he said.

"This includes Operation Badhala, a review of the Gauteng Shared Service Centre (GSSC) and increased capacity in various line departments."

Cosatu called for political responsibility for the situation.

"We insist there must be political responsibility. We call for the arrest of the MEC responsible for the crisis that Gauteng residents have to live with, though we believe that the current MEC of health inherited this mess from the previous MEC, Brian Hlongwa," Craven said.

"The Gauteng department of health has moved from being one of the best in the country to the current crisis -- flea-ridden premises, overloaded staff and unpaid doctors, and a failure to pay service providers on time, leading to chronic shortage of medicines and other essentials.

Craven added: "Cosatu is determined to put a stop to corruption, maladministration and the misuse of public funds and will support the government's welcome strong steps to stop the rot."