Cdes I was really disturbed to read this news. Pitso has been making wild accusations and has been publically attacking our GS. I was assuming that he is going to Shikota anyway. Why should he be rewarded with this important position? I do understand that sometimes people are appointed as ambassadors to get them out of the way, and also that is this case there was a need to make space in the provincial cabinet. But this is a very important one, to Cuba of all places. There we need a committed and loyal communist. Pitso could have been appointed as an ambassador to somewhere else or to some other position if that was necessary. I am really uncomfortable to have as our representative in Cuba someone who is hostile to the Party and its leadership, and the appointment does not seem to have been well-intentioned. I wish that one could understand how this came about and what was Motlanthe thinking when he made it.
Sipho http://www.news24.com/City_Press/News/0,,186-187_2434376,00.html Piitso new SA ambassador to Cuba By Piet Rampedi [image: Click here to find out more!]<http://ad.za.doubleclick.net/click;h=v8/3788/0/0/%2a/e;44306;0-0;0;14950016;2159-220/120;0/0/0;;%7Esscs=%3f> LIMPOPO Roads and Transport MEC, Justice Piitso, has been appointed SA's new ambassador to Cuba, paving the way for provincial ANC chairperson Cassel Mathale to finally be part of Premier Sello Moloto's cabinet. The compromise move comes after months of acrimony between Moloto and the provincial ANC that demanded Mathale's inclusion into his cabinet as part of transitional measures. Both parties failed to reach an agreement since September this year after Moloto demanded that Piitso, his ally, be redeployed to a "comfortable" position before he could consider a reshuffle. The ANC demanded Piitso's head. President Kgalema Motlanthe, recently asked to intervene in the matter, has now appointed Piitso as Cuban ambassador with effect from December 1. Piitso joined Mathale and ANC Limpopo secretary Joe Maswanganyi when the announcement was made at a media briefing in Polokwane on Friday. He immediately resigned as both MEC and a member of the provincial legislature and insisted the move was not a forced decision. "The president requested me. I was not forced. There is no conspiracy or anything by the ANC leadership in this matter," Piitso said. He claimed the redeployment was a chance for him to learn. In its statement, the ANC said an ambassadorial position was one of the most prestigious responsibilities a country could bestow on one of its cadres. ANC provincial executive member, Meriam Ramadwa, will take up Piitso's seat in the provincial legislature. Maswanganyi said Moloto has been informed about the decision, and knows what is expected of him as an ANC cadre. "As far as we know, it is the ANC that deploys people to government and the premier understands that policy very well," he said. Moloto could not be reached for comment. Mathale and Maswanganyi said they were not collapsing the state into a party by announcing Piitso's resignation, instead of the government doing so, but were merely welcoming his appointment as his ANC leaders. They said they came into the picture because neither Motlanthe nor Luthuli House could make such a pronouncement. Mathale maintained that Piitso was not redeployed to entice him against joining the ANC breakaway party, COPE, and that he had a right to change political allegiance. Mathale insisted the redeployment had nothing to do with his ambitions to be MEC, saying it would not be a "train smash" if Moloto did not appoint him. The year has already ended, he added, and the ANC was focusing on next year's elections. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [EMAIL PROTECTED] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
