Cape Town - Phumelele Stone Sizani replaced Mathole Motshekga as ANC Chief Whip on Thursday.
The change took effect just more than an hour after it was announced by African National Congress secretary general Gwede Mantashe, with Deputy Speaker Nomaindia Mfeketo citing it as the reason for a 15-minute delay in the start of the sitting of the National Assembly.
Mantashe denied that Motshekga had been demoted. He said the reason for the change was that Motshekga was not a member of the ruling party's national executive committee (NEC) - a pre-condition for being Chief Whip which the ANC set in 2008.
"The reason for that is that we have always viewed it as correct to have the Chief Whip sitting in the NEC as part of the decision-making structures," Mantashe told a media briefing at Parliament.
He said this was essential to keep a direct line of communication between top party structures and Parliament to resolve problems that arose in the legislature as soon as possible.
Motshekga failed to make it onto the NEC at the ANC's elective conference in Polokwane in December.
Asked why the decision to replace him came only six months later, Mantashe responded: "One thing that we don't do when we run an organisation is to take decisions in a rush."
Motshekga was not at the media briefing, but said afterwards that he would remain an ordinary MP.
"I will be here," he told reporters.
Sizani was chairman of Parliament's portfolio committee on rural development and land reform. He would be replaced in that post by ANC MP Jerry Thibedi.
Mantashe also announced that the ANC had confirmed the appointment of Annelize van Wyk as chairwoman of the portfolio committee on police. - Sapa