President Jacob Zuma has appointed National Freedom Party leader Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi as deputy science & technology minister, the presidency announced on Thursday.
KaMagwaza-Msibi, 52, would take her oath of office at a swearing-in ceremony at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday.
The post was formerly held by Mike Masutha, who is now serving as justice minister in Zuma’s new cabinet.
KaMagwaza-Msibi is one of six NFP members who earned themselves seats in the national Assembly following her party’s breakaway from the Inkatha Freedom Party in 2011, and contesting its first general elections on 7 May.
The NFP garnered 288 742 votes in the elections.
The party also won six seats in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.
KaMagwaza-Msibi formerly served as Zululand district municipality mayor. She was also IFP chair — from 2006 to 2011 — before the split.
Earlier this year, in the run-up to the elections, KaMagwaza-Msibi told supporters that the ANC, as well as the IFP, were scared by her party’s growth.
“These two political parties fear the NFP. They are threatened by the growth of the NFP. They fear that we may take over this province from them and they are using dirty barbaric tactics,” she reportedly said at the time.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has expressed “dissapointment” in Magwaza-Msibi’s decision to join Zuma’s cabinet.
“She is yet another opposition leader that has been co-opted by the ANC with an offer of a high-paying government position. Magwazi-Msibi has effectively sold out her supporters,” said DA KZN leader Sizwe Mchunu.
“People voted for her party because they want an alternative to the ANC. If people wanted to support the ANC, they could just have voted for the ANC. The NFP clearly is more interested in securing positions for its leaders in national government than in providing better governance.” — TechCentral, with Sapa