Cape Town - Western Cape Premier Helen Zille has added a third female to her previously all-male provincial cabinet.
Zille on Tuesday announced that the DA’s provincial caucus chairwoman in the legislature, Anroux Marais, would be the latest addition to her cabinet, as the new MEC for Cultural Affairs and Sport.
The post became available after Theuns Botha unexpectedly resigned from public office on Sunday.
An excited Marais told the Cape Argus she was more than happy to serve in the cabinet.
“When the premier approached me, I was at first surprised, then excited and now I am still suffering from heart palpitations.”
Marais said when Zille told her that she would like to make her an MEC, wanting to know if she was up for the task, her response was simple, “definitely premier, it would be a great honour and an even bigger challenge”.
Marais, a well-known DA faithful, has been with the party since the beginning and first served as a councillor prior to joining the provincial legislature.
Zille said Marais was elected to the provincial legislature in 2004 and served a full term with great dedication on the portfolio committee of cultural affairs and sport.
“Having exercised oversight for five years, she understands the work required by the department very well
“ She has also served as the chairwoman of the Portfolio Committees of Health and Social Development, giving her a sound understanding of the requirements of transversal management for successful government.”
She added she had full confidence that Marais was the right person to provide leadership in this important portfolio.
Asked about her vision for her new portfolio, Marais said she believed that all communities despite their different cultures could be unified through sports and cultural affairs.
“In a time when xenophobia is wreaking havoc in other parts of the country sports and culture could be used to bring communities closer together, but most of all it acts as a unifier,” she added.
Reacting to Zille’s announcement, the ANC’s chief whip in the provincial legislature, Pierre Uys, said Marais was an experienced member of the provincial legislature who had managed to balance her role as a chairwoman of the standing committee on which she has served.
But he added he was concerned that the sports and culture affairs portfolio had become the dumping ground for DA MPLs who were on their way out. “I am very concerned that Marais will not bring the necessary stability, vision and transformation that are much needed in the portfolio. In fact we believe she will most like be just another caretaker.”
On a political note, Uys said he sees the appointment as a compromise from Zille’s side after she continuously disregarded the Afrikaners in the DA and also in light of the manner in which she treated Botha.
EFF MPL Nazier Paulsen said he was hoping to finally have an MEC that would now make sure that this portfolio reached its full potential using sports and culture to unite the people of the Western Cape.
“I am also glad that the premier has finally woken up to the fact that she has been alienating Afrikaners in the organisation in a quest to secure the black and coloured vote,” he added.
Cape Argus