Zuma dodges questions about cabinet reshuffle

President Jacob Zuma refused again yesterday to explain his recent cabinet shuffle, but defended his decision to keep big spending Sicelo Shiceka on his team.

Answering questions in Parliament, Zuma said no one was sacked for inefficiency or incompetence and that the changes did not reflect rivalries within the ANC.

"The composition of Cabinet and the appointment of deputy ministers is the prerogative of the president," he said.

"The president is under no obligation to explain the reasons for his actions in this regard.

"We were guided by the mission of our government, which is to improve the quality of life of all South Africans, especially the poor, working with all our people."

Asked whether his changes proved that appointments needed to be made on the basis of skill and ability rather than political expedience, he insisted: "The reasons are not related to inefficiency or lack of skills, totally not. Just remove that [from] your mind and accept what has happened as it has happened."

Pressed by COPE's Anele Mda to explain why he had kept Shiceka, Zuma said: "That minister has been working and is very active, has done a lot in terms of that department and that's why I have kept him."

He said a long-awaited policy paper on the reform of local and regional government would be published for public comment by February next year.

He did not say whether the policy paper would discuss the realignment or merger of any of the nine provinces.

Zuma named 10 new ministers last month and added several new deputy minister positions in his team. He axed Barbara Hogan as minister of public enterprises - which includes responsibility for Eskom and Transnet - and Siphiwe Nyanda, whose communications department was unravelling amid internal contestation.

His changes, which included the promotion of former ANC Youth League leaders Fikile Mbalula and Malusi Gigaba to the cabinet, were widely interpreted as a move to consolidate his own position ahead of a 2012 bid for another five years as leader of the ruling party.

Zuma denied this yesterday, saying such a suggestion was a figment of a fertile imagination.

Zuma defended his commitment to the fight against corruption, but urged MPs not to use allegations of maladministration as political weapons.