Maimane praised for balanced shadow cabinet
THE DA parliamentary leader, Mmusi Maimane, pulled off a tough balancing act when appointing his new shadow cabinet, retaining experienced MPs in current portfolios while finding space for his rivals and new MPs.
Maimane made the appointments this week following his ascendancy to the DA’s top job in parliament against the backdrop of deep divisions that recently emerged in the party over his suitability to take over from Lindiwe Mazibuko, who left the position to study in the US.
But Maimane was careful not to ruffle feathers by retaining MPs who were seen as Mazibuko’s supporters and finding space for those who wanted to challenge him during the leadership contest.
In his fine balancing act, Maimane allowed David Maynier to stay on as the party’s defence representative. He retained Diane Kohler Barnard in the police portfolio and James Lorimer in the mineral resources portfolio.
Maimane kept the trio in their prominent portfolios despite their names being associated with a campaign challenging his bid to become parliamentary leader.
Dion George returns to the finance portfolio, where he was replaced by Tim Harris when Mazibuko took the reins in 2012.
Harris, who doubled as Mazibuko’s parliamentary counsellor, was dropped as an MP last month and made investment chief in Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s office.
Maimane’s other rivals, Wilmot James and Makashule Gana, who chose to announce at the 11th hour that he would not challenge Maimane, were allocated the senior positions of health and human settlements respectively.
James was replaced in the influential trade and industry portfolio by party leader Helen Zille’s former chief of staff, Geordin Hill-Lewis.
Maimane said there were people that he would have preferred not to endorse for appointment, but this was not about settling scores with rivals.
“There are certain people that I wouldn’t have appointed if I had scores to settle with them, but that’s not the business of what I am.
“I am the leader of caucus. It’s a job of putting together a team of rivals and making sure that the team performs well,” he said.
He has deployed Gavin Davis, the party communications director who is also a close ally of Zille’s, to the communications portfolio.
Former National Prosecuting Authority prosecutor Glynnis Breytenbach will lead the party in the justice committee and former University of the Witwatersrand vice-chancellor Belinda Bozzoli has been deployed to higher education.
Young blood Solly Malatsi takes over the sports portfolio from Winston Rabotapi.
A member of the DA caucus, who did not want to be named, praised Maimane for maintaining “experience while adding new vibrancy” and for not retaliating.
“There are people who are still in key portfolios. It’s a nice balance.
“Going into local government elections, human settlements is one of the burning issues and Gana is there, so there’s no sense of retribution,” said the MP.