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Chairperson of Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs Hlomani Chauke has welcomed the appointment of Siyabonga Cwele as the new minister of home affairs.
The committee said it was of the view that the appointment would bring innovations to resolve some of the challenges facing the department, Chauke said in a statement on Friday.
Cwele was moved from the telecommunications portfolio to home affairs when President Cyril Ramaphosa shuffled his Cabinet on Thursday. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, previously Cwele's deputy, is now minister of communications and telecommunications.
READ: Meet the new Minister of Communications, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
Cwele fills the gap left by Malusi Gigaba's resignation, following a raft of findings against the former beleaguered minister that he lied under oath.
Chauke said one of the key challenges for the new minister will be to resolve the lingering challenge of long queues at service points across the country.
"In addition, the intermittent challenges with server downtime that hampers the rendering of services must be urgently resolved. Also, the committee has emphasised the need to address the ever-increasing legal liabilities facing the department," he said.
Resignation 'not an admission of guilt'
"The implementation of measures announced by the President to increase tourism numbers and cut red tape to facilitate investment is paramount."
Chauke said the committee had committed itself to work with Cwele to find workable solutions to the challenges facing the department.
Gigaba resigned from Cabinet last Tuesday following mounting pressure for Ramaphosa to give him the boot.
"I did so after a long period of sustained and vitriolic public attacks on my integrity. I wish to state that my resignation is not an admission of guilt on my part," Gigaba had said.
He also resigned as a member of Parliament on the same day, but this was only announced three days later on Friday, November 16.
On his resignation from Parliament, Gigaba said: "It was indeed my honour and privilege to have been of service to our people in this high office.
"I am also grateful that my organisation afforded me this honour."
