We have noted the cabinet reshuffle. The changes in personnel do not necessarily mean changes in the core mandate of those institutions. As long as the mandate of treasury is not to redistribute the resources to the excluded African majority, the problems of African people will never go away.

The CODESA outcome of the negotiated settlement gave us a treasury which is accountable to the markets and its core business is the maintenance of fiscal "discipline".

Under Trevor Manuel, the most celebrated financial minister in this country, we had the longest economic growth period sustained but that had nothing to do with the development of our people. It widened the gap between those who are rich and those who are poor.

To us, the change has to be the mandate of treasury and that mandate must be to redistribute resources to the poor African people. The reshuffle thereof is to engage in the same exercise but expect a different outcome. It is meaningless as long as the mandate of the treasury has not been changed and in this regard coupled with the change of the mandate of the reserve bank.

It is only then that we can even begin to talk about economic transformation. The reshuffle has to be understood in that context. We hope that this futile exercise is now over and we can begin to engage on genuine issues which affects our people; landlessness of Africans, inequality and transformation of the entire society.

Issued by PAC