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20 August 2008

The Minister in The Presidency, Mr Kgalema Motlanthe has appointed former Western Cape Premier Ebrahim Rasool and Dr Khulu Mbatha as his special advisors.

The advisors will counsel Minister Motlanthe on the official government tasks he has been given. These are being leader of government business in Parliament and assisting the deputy president in the anti poverty war room work, which was officially launched in the Free State last week.

The minister has been in office for a month and acts as an interface among Parliament, cabinet and the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).

Mr Rasool will primarily concentrate on advising the minister on his work in parliament, while Dr Mbatha will concentrate on other aspects of the minister's work, including liaison with Luthuli House.

Dr Mbatha is not new to the public service as he served as the first private secretary of the late Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alfred Nzo, between 1995 and 1996. He has also held several positions within the Department of Foreign Affairs, including a stint at the United Nations and in Germany as the Consul General of South Africa. He was also the acting Director-General of the Department of Home Affairs. He rejoins government from the private sector.

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Issued by: The Presidency
20 August 2008