New 2010 board appointed

Johannesburg - As expected, President Kgalema Motlanthe has replaced the ministers who resigned from government on the SA 2010 Fifa World Cup Local Organising Committee (LOC).

Former Minister of Health Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who was strongly expected to replace Essop Pahad by virtue of being the new minister in the presidency was surprisingly left out.

The new government representatives on the LOC board are Minister of Provincial Affairs Sicelo Shiceka, Safety and Security Minister Susan Shabangu, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sue van der Merwe and the finance ministry's director-general, Lesetja Kganyago.

These names were confirmed to City Press by Minister of Sports and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile yesterday.

Shiceka is a direct replacement for Sydney Mufamadi, while Van der Merwe takes Pahad's place, Shabangu comes in place of Charles Nqakula and Kganyago replaces Jabu Moleketi.

Asked about the absence of Msimang, Stofile said: "The president felt that there was no need for the presidency to be directly represented." He explained that Kganyago's appointment was temporary until Motlanthe appointed a new deputy minister of finance.

Stofile is to forward these names to the LOC this week which will then forward them to the South African Football Association (Safa) and the Federation of International Football Associations (Fifa).

The agreement to stage the World Cup is between Safa and Fifa, but government is also part of the agreement as they provide all the funding as well as guarantees for the event.

LOC positions

Stofile said it was agreed in a meeting held in 2005 that when ministers lost their positions in government they would have to be removed from the LOC.

"Government ministers are accountable to cabinet and parliament. Once you resign as a minister you are no longer accountable to both these structures," he said.

The minister also explained that as a Section 21 Company the LOC was able to retain certain individuals if they felt that their skills were necessary. "The LOC will have to call a board meeting where this can be discussed and a decision can be taken," he said.

Stofile said priorities had changed from what they were in 2005 when the appointments were initially made. "The uppermost priority then was compliance with the required government guarantees and to ensure that all Fifa requirements for the staging of a successful event were met," he said.

Ticketing was of utmost importance at this stage of the preparations, as well as safety and security.

With the current political situation in the country the move to replace the ministers will be read in some parts as continuation of the purging of those aligned to former president Thabo Mbeki.

- City Press