It was ability, not Zuma vote, says Pandor

NEW Home Affairs Minister Naledi Pandor says she does not believe her appointment has anything to do with the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) electoral conference later this year.

President Jacob Zuma yesterday unexpectedly announced changes to his Cabinet, just a day after he made known that Ms Pandor was acting home affairs minister. Mr Zuma promoted her deputy, Derek Hanekom, to minister of science and technology.

The announcement raised speculation that Mr Zuma had made the two appointments to consolidate his power base in his quest for a second term as president of the ANC.

But Ms Pandor said she had no idea why people would believe that their appointments had anything to do with the party’s elections.

“I hope it’s because the president has faith in our ability,” she said in an interview yesterday.

Ms Pandor said she is to meet home affairs senior management today to be briefed on the state of the department and its plans.

“I feel daunted, challenged and intrigued by the new opportunity,” she said. “I think the former minister has really done a marvellous job and I hope to be able to build on that success.”

Ms Pandor fills a vacancy left by the resignation of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who is the new chairwoman of the African Union Commission. Mr Hanekom said yesterday he was honoured by his appointment and believed what was required from him was “continuation, and building on the great work that has already been done in the department”.

He had been deputy science and technology minister since 2004, and therefore was not ner- vous about the new post, “because I’ve been doing it for so long”.

A spokesman for the Department of Science and Technology, Lunga Ngqengelele, agreed that the transition would not be a problem as Mr Hanekom had been “working hand in hand with the minister. For him to become minister, it’s nothing new.”

Mr Hanekom said he would continue with Ms Pandor’s work, such as implementing recommendations from the interministerial review of SA’s science, technology and innovation landscape.