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I have today made a number of important changes to the composition of the DA's Shadow Cabinet.
A full list of those changes follows below this statement.
I believe the newly re-structured Shadow Cabinet to be an excellent one. I am confident we have allocated people to the portfolios best suited to their expertise and, together, the Shadow Cabinet constitutes a powerful force for oversight, on the one hand, and generating and communicating policy alternatives on the other.
Members, old and new, now have a range of new challenges before them, as we continue to practice and promote the DA's vision of an Open Opportunity Society for All.
I am sure every one of them will rise to those challenges and, hopefully, exceed them.
The changes were born of three considerations:
First, sixteen months have passed since the first Shadow Cabinet was announced. During that time I have had an opportunity to assess the skills and attributes of a new caucus and to decide how to best allocate that talent. I believe the new Shadow Cabinet is a sharper, more focused body. Second, a number of vacancies and shifts, from the Western Cape Government, provinces and national, necessitated a number of changes in turn.
In this regard, Tim Harris (from the NCOP to the NA), Jacques Smalle (Limpopo), Lennit Max (Western Cape), Dirk Stubbe (Northern Cape), Beverly Abrahams (Gauteng) and Theo Beyleveldt (Western Cape, to the NCOP) all join our national caucus.
These moves are not all instantaneous, some will take a while, but they will all happen in the near future. I would like to extend a warm welcome to each of them. I have no doubt every one of them will contribute enormously to our cause.
At the same time we say goodbye to Desiree van Der Walt (to the Limpopo provincial legislature), Andrew Louw (Northern Cape) and Albert Fritz (Western Cape government).
I wish them good luck with the new challenges that await them and thank them for all their hard work and dedication while serving in Parliament. They will be missed.
And here I would like to extend a special message of thanks to Sherry Chen, who has resigned from her position in the NCOP, to pursue her incredibly successful career in the private sector and her social welfare work. There are few people more dedicated to the DA's cause than Sherry. She was an absolute pleasure to have with us in Parliament. Her dedication, her enthusiasm and her generosity will not be forgotten. Of course Sherry will remain close to the DA but her decision to bring her time in Parliament to a close is our great loss. We wish her every success in the future.
Third, in 2009 the party implemented a performance monitoring and development system, designed to help us assess the performance of our public representatives at every level. We have now had two rounds of that assessment. This tool was implemented in order to allow the DA to better pursue excellence, by identifying member's strengths, as well as their development needs. A number of changes were informed by this process.
There are now two overarching and clear challenges that now await us: in the short term, the 2011 local government elections and, in the longer term, the 2014 national elections.
Our national caucus and Shadow Cabinet is fully cognisant of this fact and motivated to use the various platforms at their disposal to communicate the DA's vision, for all South Africans, and to continue to stand up for good governance and the constitution in safeguarding our democratic order.
Democratic Alliance Shadow Cabinet
(Names in bold have shifted or inherited new portfolios)
Portfolio: The Presidency Leader of the Opposition: Athol Trollip Chief Whip: Ian Davidson
Portfolio: Parliament Chief Whip: Ian Davidson Deputy Chief Whip: Mike Ellis
DA National Spokesperson: Lindiwe Mazibuko
Portfolio: Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shadow Minister: Lourie Bosman Shadow Deputy Minister: Deetlefts du Toit
Portfolio: Arts and Culture Shadow Minister: Annelie Lotriet Shadow Deputy Minister: Jacques Smalle
Portfolio: Basic Education Shadow Minister: Wilmot James Shadow Deputy Minister: Donald Smiles
Portfolio: Communications Shadow Minister: Natasha Michael Shadow Deputy Minister: Niekie van den Berg
Portfolio: Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Shadow Minister: James Lorimer Shadow Deputy Minister: Marti Wenger
Portfolio: Correctional Services Shadow Minister: James Selfe Shadow Deputy Minister: Lennit Max (Pending his move to the National Assembly)
Portfolio: Defence and Military Veterans Shadow Minister: David Maynier Shadow Deputy Minister: James Masango
Portfolio: Economic Development Shadow Minister: Kobus Marais Shadow Deputy Minister: Pierre Rabie
Portfolio: Energy Shadow Minister: Sej Motau Shadow Deputy Minister: David Ross
Portfolio: Finance Shadow Minister: Dion George Shadow Deputy Minister: Kobus Marais
Portfolio: Health Shadow Minister: Mike Waters Shadow Deputy Minister: Emma More
Portfolio: Higher Education and Training Shadow Minister: Junita Kloppers-Lourens Shadow Deputy Minister: Andricus van der Westhuizen
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