On Tuesday afternoon Ntombela announced her executive council with some notable appointments. DA Member of the Provincial Legislature (MPL), Roy Jankielsohn, is perturbed that five of the ten MECs have no previous legislature experience and what he deems to be some sort of institutional knowledge of the legislature and the departments within which they have to function. Jankielsohn is disappointed that Ntombela didn’t use this opportunity to cut down on cabinet positions which would have saved the provincial government money. The Leader of the Freedom Front Plus caucus in the province, Wouter Wessels, shares Jankielsohn’s views on the matter and attributes many of the appointments to the factions within the ANC in the province.

Wessels says Ntombela made certain appointments to please the different factions within the Free State ANC, hence the size of the Premier’s cabinet. “It is really unfortunate that the cabinet was not made smaller. This was the opportune moment to make the Free State cabinet smaller and more responsible. 

"We have a very big provincial cabinet if you take into account that there are only thirty members of the Free State Legislature, it’s a very, very large provincial cabinet and this opportunity was missed and it is due to the fact that certain people had to be appointed to satisfy the different factions in the ANC,” says Wessels.

The inclusion of Tate Makgoe and Sam Mashinini in their previous portfolios has been lauded by the FF Plus as a stabilising move, considering the lack of experience in the cabinet. Jankielsohn, on the other hand, is concerned by two key appointments.

He says Mamiki Qabathe has again been appointed MEC despite the implementation of the controversial Vrede Dairy Project happening under her watch and during her tenure as MEC previously. The DA is bothered and surprised by Dimakatso Mahasa’s reappointment, adding that she was absent from her position during her previous tenure.

EFF Provincial Chairperson, Mandisa Makesini, was unavailable for comment at the time of broadcast.

With the additions of Gadija Brown, Tshidi Koloi, and Mamiki Qabathe in the positions of Finance MEC; Public Works & Infrastructure, and Human Settlements MEC; and Social Development MEC respectively, the Premier now has a provincial cabinet that is half male and half female. 

The three new female MECs join Dimakatso Mahasa and Montsheng Tsiu in the Sports, Arts and Culture and Health portfolios. The new male additions in key departments include Thembeni Nxangisa as the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Makalo Mohale, as MEC of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Destea), as well as William Bulwane as MEC of Agriculture and Rural Development.

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