Cabinet of Nelson Mandela

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  • Government of National Unity
  • Mandela Cabinet
Flag of South Africa.svg
1st Cabinet of the Republic of South Africa
(since the 1994 elections)
1994–1999
Nelson Mandela 1994.jpg
President Mandela in 1994
Date formed10 May 1994 (1994-05-10)
Date dissolved14 June 1999 (1999-06-14)
(5 years, 1 month and 4 days)
People and organisations
President Nelson Mandela
Deputy President
No. of ministers27 ministers
Member party
Status in legislature Majority (national unity)
Opposition party
Opposition leader
History
Election 1994 election
Legislature term First Parliament
Predecessor De Klerk (TEC)
Successor Mbeki I

Nelson Mandela took the oath as President of South Africa on 10 May 1994 and announced a Government of National Unity on 11 May 1994. [1] The cabinet included members of Mandela's African National Congress, the National Party and Inkatha Freedom Party, as Clause 88 of the Interim Constitution of South Africa required that all parties winning more than 20 seats in National Assembly should be given representation in the cabinet. Upon its formation it comprised 27 ministers, with a further 13 deputy ministers. [2] [3]

Contents

Background

In the election of 27 April 1994, the African National Congress (ANC) obtained the majority of seats in the National Assembly, and thus could form the government on its own. The two chief parties who made use of the provision for a Government of National Unity (GNU) were the National Party (NP) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), both of which obtained cabinet portfolios for their leaders and other members of parliament. President Nelson Mandela also invited other parties to join the cabinet, even though they did not obtain the minimum twenty seats in the National Assembly.

The aims of the GNU centred on governing by consensus and building peace while correcting the social and economic injustices left by the legacy of apartheid. [4] It also oversaw the development of the final post-apartheid Constitution, which was carried out by the two chambers of parliament, the Senate and National Assembly.

On 8 May 1996 the final Constitution was adopted by the National Assembly and one day later, second Deputy President of the Republic F. W. de Klerk announced the withdrawal of his National Party from the GNU, with effect from 30 June. De Klerk said that the withdrawal was related to the need for a strong opposition to the ANC and that it was an "important step in the growing maturity and normalization of our young democracy". [5]

The requirement for the GNU lapsed at the end of the first Parliament in 1999. Even so, the IFP continued to hold seats in the government, as minority partners, until the elections of 2004.

Membership

PostMinisterImageTermParty
President Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela 1994.jpg 19941999 ANC
First Deputy President Thabo Mbeki SthAfrica.ThaboMbeki.01 (cropped2).jpg 19941999 ANC
Second Deputy President Frederik Willem de Klerk F. W. de Klerk 2012 (cropped).jpg 19941996 NP
Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs Derek Hanekom MP Derek Hanekom-IMG 1037.jpg 19961999 ANC
Minister of Land Affairs Derek Hanekom MP19941996 ANC
Minister of Agriculture Kraai van Niekerk MP19941996 NP
Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology Lionel Mtshali MP19961999 IFP
Ben Ngubane MP19941996 IFP
Minister of Correctional Services Ben Skosana MP19981999 IFP
Sipho Mzimela MP19941998 IFP
Minister of Defence Joe Modise MP Joe Modise.jpg 19941999 ANC
Minister of Education Sibusiso Bengu MP Bengu2007.jpg 19941999 ANC
Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Jay Naidoo MP19961999 ANC
Pallo Jordan MP Pallo Jordan.jpg 19941996 ANC
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Pallo Jordan MP19961999 ANC
Dawie de Villiers MP19941996 NP
Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel MP Trevor Manuel, IMF 62PH030922AAH.jpg 19961999 ANC
Chris Liebenberg MP Chris Liebenberg.jpg 19941996None
Derek Keys MP Derek Keys.jpg 19941994 NP
Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfred Nzo MP AlfredNzo1977.jpg 19941999 ANC
Minister of General Affairs John Mavuso MP19961996 NP
Minister of Health Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma MP Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma 2009.jpg 19941999 ANC
Minister of Home Affairs Mangosuthu Buthelezi MP Buthelezi2.jpg 19941999 IFP
Minister of Housing Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele MP19951999 ANC
Joe Slovo MP19941995 ANC
Minister of Justice Dullah Omar MP19941999 ANC
Minister of Labour Tito Mboweni MP TitoMboweni.jpg 19941999 ANC
Minister of Minerals and Energy Penuell Maduna MP19961999 ANC
Pik Botha MP Pik Botha (cropped).jpg 19941996 NP
Minister of Public Enterprises Stella Sigcau MP19941999 ANC
Minister of Public Works Jeff Radebe MP JeffRadebe.jpg 19941999 ANC
Minister of Welfare and Population Development Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi MP Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi - 7th Broadband Commission for Digital Development Meeting, Mexico City, Mexico.jpg 19961999 ANC
Patrick McKenzie MP19961996 NP
Abe Williams MP19941996 NP
Minister of Sport Steve Tshwete MP19941999 ANC
Minister of Transport Mac Maharaj MP Mac Maharaj 2021.png 19941999 ANC
Minister of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin MP19961999 ANC
Trevor Manuel MP Trevor Manuel, IMF 62PH030922AAH.jpg 19941996 ANC
Minister of Safety and Security Sydney Mufamadi MP19941999 ANC
Minister without Portfolio (RDP) Jay Naidoo MP19941996 ANC
Minister of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs Valli Moosa MP Valli Moosa.jpg 19961999 ANC
Roelf Meyer MP19941996 NP
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry Kader Asmal MP19941999 ANC

Reshuffles

The first cabinet change occurred in mid-1994, when Derek Keys resigned as Minister of Finance and was replaced by Chris Liebenberg. [6] Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele became Minister of Housing in January 1995 after Joe Slovo died. [7] In February 1996, Roelf Meyer resigned as Minister of Constitutional Development Provincial Affairs after being appointed secretary-general of the NP; the NP nominated John Mavuso to replace him in the cabinet, but in a newly created position as Minister of General Services. [8]

On 28 March 1996, Mandela announced that Liebenberg himself had resigned and would be succeeded by Trevor Manuel; Liebenberg's deputy, Alec Erwin, in turn took over Manuel's portfolio as Minister of Trade and Industry. [9] [10] Later the same week, Pallo Jordan was fired as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications and was replaced by Jay Naidoo, formerly a minister without portfolio with responsibility for the Reconstruction and Development Programme office (subsequently closed). [11]

The first and only major cabinet reshuffle was announced after de Klerk announced the NP's withdrawal from the cabinet, which would take effect on 30 June 1996. The NP's seats in the cabinet were ceded to the ANC, and in May, Mandela announced four new ministerial appointments: the shuffle saw Valli Moosa named as Minister of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs, Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi named as Minister of Welfare and Population Development, Penuell Maduna named as Minister of Minerals and Energy, and Pallo Jordan returned to the cabinet as Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. Derek Hanekom's land affairs portfolio was expanded to become the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs. The second deputy presidency, formerly held by de Klerk, was abolished, as was Mavuso's general services portfolio. [12]

Peter Mokaba replaced Bantu Holomisa as Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in August 1996, [13] and Lionel Mtshali succeeded Ben Ngubane as Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology in September 1996 after Ngubane resigned to join the KwaZulu-Natal government. [14]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Mandela Completes His Cabinet, Giving Buthelezi a Post". The New York Times . 12 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "South African Government Meets National Unity Test". Christian Science Monitor. 13 May 1994. ISSN   0882-7729 . Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Glance At Mandela's Cabinet With AM-South Africa". AP News. 11 May 1994. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Southern, Neil (2020). "The pitfalls of power sharing in a new democracy: the case of the National Party in South Africa". The Journal of Modern African Studies. 58 (2): 281–299. doi:10.1017/S0022278X2000018X. ISSN   0022-278X.
  5. ↑ Daley, Suzanne (10 May 1996). "De Klerk's Party Quits Government". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Banking Bureaucrat". The Mail & Guardian. 8 July 1994. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  7. ↑ "A Tearful Exit for Outgoing Housing Minister". allAfrica. 24 February 2003. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "White-Led Party Appoints First Black to Cabinet Post". AP News. 9 February 1996. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Mandela's First Shuffle Of Cabinet Jitters Some". Christian Science Monitor. 1 April 1996. ISSN   0882-7729 . Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  10. ↑ "Liebenberg replaced by Manuel". The Mail & Guardian. 29 March 1996. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  11. ↑ "Flood of support for Jordan". The Mail & Guardian. 12 April 1996. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Mandela Revamps Cabinet in South Africa". Los Angeles Times. 14 May 1996. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  13. ↑ ANC Daily News Briefing, 27 July 1996 [ permanent dead link ]
  14. ↑ Spencer Jones, Jonathan (6 September 1996). "New Minister Picks Up the Baton". Science. 273 (5280): 1333. doi:10.1126/science.273.5280.1333.a. ISSN   0036-8075.
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