Nathi Mthethwa Made Minister of Arts and Culture

Former minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, has been appointed as minister of Arts and Culture. He replaces Paul Mashatile in Jacob Zuma's new cabinet announced late yesterday.  Largely seen as a demotion, Mthethwa, who has been a strong ally of the president's, has been under the spotlight in the last two years largely because of his handling of the police services during the time of the Marikana massacre.  However, it is his failure to limit the damage with regards to the Nkandla scandal that is said to be the main reason for his demotion.

The man he replaces, Paul Mashatile, too has not been far from the media's searchlights. Before becoming deputy-minister of the Arts and Culture portfolio, Mashatile's premiership of Gauteng had not been without incident and there were several tender irregularities that were reportedly linked to him.

Mashatile was later directly involved in the Venice Biennale corruption scandal, after becoming minister, when he appointed the commercial gallerist Monna Mokoena as commissioner of the South African Biennale, in what was widely seen to be a conflict of interest.

The scandal, which included the uncovering of faked and irregular invoices in the Biennale's final audit, has to date not been cleared up, with the department refusing to look into the matter stating that it had 'no reason to doubt' the audit. This was despite the fact that two people confirmed that invoices that appeared in the audit under their names were not theirs. 

What is more the department now sits with a Draft White Paper, produced shortly before the election, whose fate now seems to rest in the balance with a new minster in charge. 

Mthethwa who has regularly received an F in the Mail and Guardian's yearly report card is nevertheless reported have an open style of leadership and is said to listen to research group proposals and well as the concerns of stakeholders.