Former African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) national spokesperson and MP Selby Khumalo, who defected to the ANC last year, has been appointed to the position of Chief Director of Communications in the office of KwaZulu-Natal Premier S'bu Ndebele.
Khumalo will be responsible for co-ordinating and developing a media strategy for the provincial government.
Khumalo, a priest, replaced Thabang Chiloane who has joined the Presidency in Pretoria where he works for Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
Khumalo, who was the national media director of the ACDP before defecting to the ANC last September, also served in the parliamentary communication portfolio committee in the National Assembly before joining the provincial government.
Khumalo said he wanted to achieve a threefold strategic objective in his new job, which involved providing the public with timely and accurate information about the government's policies, decisions and programmes.
"We need to communicate effectively with all identified members of the public and craft a focused and impressive brand and image for the premier's office and the KwaZulu-Natal government," he said.
Khumalo said his plans for the communication component were to ensure that the premier met the press on a quarterly basis, had annual gala dinners for the press and that a Premier's Press Corps was established.
Khumalo rejected suggestions that he was being rewarded with the post for defecting to the ANC.
"That is definitely wrong because I have been in parliament and it is not as if I have not been working. In parliament I was in the portfolio committee that deals with communications and information systems," he said.
"Also, in the province there is a need for co-ordination on how the national and the provincial governments communicate to their key stakeholders."