North West premier Edna Molewa has reshuffled her executive council, leaving only two MECs unaffected by the moves announced on Tuesday.
Molewa said the changes were necessary to strengthen the provincial government's capacity to deliver on its mandate.
"Having reflected on our performance over the past year, I came to the conclusion that changes relating to the reconfiguration of departments and deployment of members of the executive council are necessary," said Molewa in statement.
The reshuffle did not entail firing any of the exiting MECs.
"It is significant to note that I have chosen to retain the same team, but deploy them in areas where I am confident they will make more impact," Molewa said.
Controversial agriculture MEC Ndleleni Duma was moved to head the department for arts, culture and sports.
The MECs not affected by the reshuffle are the MEC for local government and housing, Frans Vilakazi, and the MEC for education, Reverend OJ Tselapedi.
Four new departments have been set up. They are:
- finance;
- economic development and tourism;
- safety, transport and roads; and
- agriculture, conservation and environment.
Molewa said the changes would not adversely effect service delivery in the province.
"On the contrary, they will contribute towards improved service delivery and better performance," she said. - Sapa