DA Shadow Cabinet: New Appointments and Portfolios

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

Portfolio: Home Affairs
Shadow Minister: Annette Lovemore
Shadow Deputy Minister: Masizole Mnqasela

Portfolio: Human Settlements
Shadow Minister: Butch Steyn
Shadow Deputy Minister: Mzuvukile Figlan

Portfolio: International Relations and Co-operation
Shadow Minister: Kenneth Mubu
Shadow Deputy Minister: Stevens Mokgalapa

Portfolio: Justice and Constitutional Development
Shadow Minister: Dene Smuts
Shadow Deputy Minister: Debbie Schaffer

Portfolio: Labour
Shadow Minister: Ian Ollis
Shadow Deputy Minister: George Boinamo

Portfolio: Mining
Shadow Minister: Hendrik Schmidt
Shadow Deputy Minister: Eric Marais

Portfolio: Police
Shadow Minister: Dianne Kohler Barnard
Shadow Deputy Minister: Mpowele Swathe

Portfolio: Public Enterprises
Shadow Minister: Manie van Dyk
Shadow Deputy Minister: Pieter van Dalen

Portfolio: Public Service and Administration
Shadow Minister: Anchen Dreyer
Shadow Deputy Minister: Ena van Schalkwyk

Portfolio: Public Works
Shadow Minister: Willem Doman
Shadow Deputy Minister: Winston Rabotapi

Portfolio: Rural Development, Land Reform and Poverty Alleviation
Shadow Minister: Lindiwe Mazibuko
Shadow Deputy Minister: Annette Steyn

Portfolio: Science and Technology
Shadow Minister: Marian Shinn

Portfolio: Social Development
Shadow Minister: Patricia Kopane
Shadow Deputy Minister: Helen Lamoela

Portfolio: Sport and Recreation
Shadow Minister: Donald Lee
Shadow Deputy Minister: Japie van der Linde

Portfolio: State Security
Shadow Minister: Dirk Stubbe
Shadow Deputy Minister: Theo Coetzee

Portfolio: Tourism
Shadow Minister: Greg Krumbock
Shadow Deputy Minister: Juanita Terblanche

Portfolio: Trade and Industry
Shadow Minister: Tim Harris
Shadow Deputy Minister: Jacques Smalle

Portfolio: Transport
Shadow Minister: Stuart Farrow
Shadow Deputy Minister: Manny de Freitas

Portfolio: Water and Environmental Affairs
Shadow Minister: Gareth Morgan
Shadow Deputy Minister: Sandy Kalyan

Portfolio: Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities
Shadow Minister: Denise Robinson
Shadow Deputy Minister: Patty Duncan

Portfolio: Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Shadow Minister: Mark Steele
Shadow Deputy Minister: Piet Pretorius

Appropriations Committee
Marius Swart
Pierre Rabie

Parliamentary Leader's Counsellor
Donald Smiles

Statement issued by Athol Trollip, Democratic Alliance parliamentary leader, September 6 2010

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