Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has appointed four heads of department to fill vacancies in key departments in his government.
His office announced the appointments on Sunday afternoon.
The newly appointed HODs are Sharon Maasdorp for the department of education, Bonginkosi Dayimani (agriculture), Edmond Venn (human settlements) and Phucuka Penxa (public works and infrastructure).
Mickey Mama’s contract as HOD in the department of economic development, environmental affairs and tourism has been renewed.
Eastern Cape government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said the recruitment process for the HOD for community safety was at an advanced stage.
The recruitment of HODs for the departments of sport, recreation, arts and culture and co-operative governance and traditional affairs were now under way.
Announcing the appointments, Mabuyane urged the new HODs to remain steadfast in their commitment to ethical leadership.
“As we welcome our new head of departments, I urge them to embrace this opportunity to serve our people with dedication, integrity and passion,” the premier said.
“Let us work together to strengthen government as a whole and make a meaningful difference in the lives of our citizens, where everyone has access to opportunities, resources and services.”
Rantjie said the appointments reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to strengthening leadership and governance in the province, ensuring the administration was guided by capable and dedicated professionals who would play a pivotal role in advancing the Eastern Cape’s development agenda.
EFF provincial secretary Simthembile Madikizela said it was important to recognise that merely filling these positions would not address the underlying issues that continued to hinder the performance of the departments.
“The Eastern Cape government is operating under a series of systemic shortcomings that significantly affect the effectiveness of public administration, and there seems to be no strategic plan to address them.
“First, austerity budget cuts continue to constrain the provincial government’s ability to fund critical projects, leaving departments struggling to meet even their most basic operational goals,” Madikizela said.
“The premier assured the public that housing backlogs would be addressed, yet housing projects remain incomplete or abandoned due to procurement issues and corruption.
“In agriculture, there was a commitment to expand farming infrastructure and irrigation projects, but funding constraints and poor management have left farmers without much-needed support, and the province remains highly vulnerable to drought conditions.
“The promise to improve road infrastructure, particularly rural roads and critical bridges, has also fallen flat, with construction delays and budget mismanagement continuing to plague the public works department.
“Each of these individuals was at the helm of their respective departments when these failures unfolded.
“Maasdorp was acting in education while schools across the province remained without basic infrastructure, despite allocated budgets for renovations and expansions.
“Venn led human settlements as the province fell further behind on housing delivery targets, with many projects stalled due to financial mismanagement.
“Dayimani oversaw a department that failed to roll out promised irrigation projects, leaving small-scale farmers without the necessary support to sustain their businesses.
“Penxa was in a leadership role while roads in rural communities deteriorated further, bridge projects stalled and critical transport infrastructure was left in disrepair,” he said.
Rantjie said the new department heads had been appointed because the contracts of the outgoing HODs had ended.
“Tabisa Poswa, who was at human settlements, her contract ended in October 2024. Thandolwethu Manda from public works and infrastructure’s [contract] ended in November 2024.
“The head of department in education was placed on suspension, which was Dr Naledi Mbude, and the late Dr Soyisile Nuku took over until he died in January 2024.”
The Dispatch previously reported that Mabuyane had placed Manda on leave after sexual harassment allegations in his department came to light.
An inquiry has since been established to investigate the allegations, but a final report has yet to be completed and published.
Daily Dispatch
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