Politicians and analysts have greeted President Jacob Zuma's axing of Siphiwe Nyanda as communications minister and his expulsion from cabinet with surprise.
But his replacement Radhaskrishna "Roy" Padayachie is considered good news for the ailing Department of Communications (DOC) as Padayachie is known to the ICT sector - he served as deputy communications minister from 2004 until 2009, when he took up the position of deputy minister of public service and administration.
Also part of Zuma's reshuffle, announced today (Sunday) is the transfer of Dina Pule, who held the position of deputy minister of communications under Siphiwe Nyanda, has been moved to the Presidency where she has become deputy minister responsible for performance monitoring and evaluation. Obed Bapela has taken her place.
The cabinet reshuffle has been expected for some time, especially after the ruling African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Council meeting in Durban last month. The main issues being that of service delivery and deep concerns that some cabinet minister were more interested in lining their own pockets than taking on the job at hand.
However, Zuma's firing of Nyanda as communications minister, not just a transfer to another cabinet position, had come as a surprise as Nyanda was seen as a very close political ally, especially in the Zuma versus Thabo Mbeki battle.
"Zuma has to be praised for his decision to get rid of Nyanda," says independent political analyst Daniel Silke. "The DOC is a disaster at the moment and it is a department that needs a firm hand and someone who knows the communications sector well."
Silke says Zuma's cabinet reshuffle, in which nine new appointments were made, can be seen to be based on two factors. The first is ensuring that competent people are appointed to fill certain positions, such as in Padayachie's case. The second is that political supporters have been given cabinet positions that do not need the technical expertise that a minister of communications may necessarily need.
"Internationally, communications and the broader ICT sector have become very import for governments. Policy formulation around these sectors is seen as vital for economic growth and so one cannot have a minister who seems to be heading a house of cards," Silke says.
Sharon Horton, an independent industry observer, says Padayachie's appointment is important as he led the Pricing Colloquium in 2005 that ultimately led to the liberalisation of the market as it is today.
"Padayachie was very vocal about telecommunications pricing and he worked very hard to ensure that prices did come down. However, he was sidelined somewhat at the time, through no fault of his own. He was always known to be a very hard working deputy minister," she says.
Horton says Padayachie made himself known to the ICT sector and was of the view that industry and government were not adversaries, but should work together.
Politicians happy
Many of the current members of Parliament's communications oversight committee were not in office when Padayachie was deputy minister of communications, however, they did express their relief that Nyanda was out of cabinet completely.
Opposition MPs were quick to point out that under Nyanda's watch the DOC and its portfolio of state owned enterprises had disintegrated into all but chaos.
The situation at the DOC itself was seen as so serious that an unusual multiparty statement was issued by the communications committee saying it was "gravely concerned that for the better part of the current financial year, the Department of Communications was in a state of virtual disarray, if not wholly dysfunctional".
In reaction to Nyanda's dismissal, Democratic Alliance shadow communications minister Natasha Michael says she is relieved that he has gone: "I had to write a letter to the President to get him to remind Nyanda of his mandate."
Michael says that Padayachie will have to do his best to overcome the lack of trust and the disorganisation that currently exists within the DOC.
She says: "I was surprised to hear that Nyanda has gone completely as he was considered a close political ally of Zuma's, but I am glad he has gone."
Congress of the People communications spokesperson Juli Killian says Nyanda had to go and she is glad that Zuma made the choice, however, she points out that Padayachie is an unknown person to her.
Killian, however, says she is pleased with the appointment of Bapela as deputy communications minster as she knows him from time spent in the Gauteng provincial legislature and in his current position as Parliamentary house chairperson.
"Bapela has been highly focused on modernising Parliament and getting the MPs to use technology for the processing of bills and laws," she says.
Killian says Bapela's new position will be the ICT sector's gain, but Parliament's loss.
Ismail Vadi (ANC), chairperson of the communications committee, is currently in Canada, but sent a message that he would be issuing a statement soon.
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