“I am not a ‘super minister’ but just one of the small people who are there in cabinet.”

This was said by the newly appointed Minister in the Presidency, Mr Collins Chabane, during a provincial celebration event that was held at the Louis Trichardt Show Grounds last Saturday. He is in charge of performance management, monitoring and administration.

The ceremony was attended by businesspeople and political leaders from as far as North West, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and other parts of the country. According to Chabane, the main objective of his visit was to thank the people of Limpopo and especially the Makhado municipal area for the good things they have done for him and the ANC.

“I am going to serve my people diligently, to the best of my ability. I will never forget where I came from, so I will always come back to Vhembe and spend some time with you,” he said.

He added that he was promising better things for the people of South Africa, Limpopo and Vhembe in particular. Asked for a comment with regard to his appointment as the Minister in the Presidency, Chabane said that his appointment came in recognition of the efforts the people of Limpopo have made.

“Zuma has appointed a lot of capable people across the country and we are going to deliver on the mandate people gave us,” acknowledged Chabane.

Chabane, a true son of the Vhembe soil, was born on the 15th of April 1960 at Xikundu Village outside Thohoyandou. He joined the ANC underground activities at the age of seventeen and went into exile in May 1980. In 1984, he was arrested and served a term on Robben Island.

On his release in 1990, he continued to serve the ANC in the then Northern Transvaal as the provincial secretary until 1998. He was also instrumental in the re-establishment of the ANC structures in the province. Chabane is the former MEC for Economic Development, Environment & Tourism.

The premier of Limpopo, Mr Cassel Mathale, said that the province was happy about Chabane´s appointment. “It is a great honour to have three new ministers from our province and we are very thankful for that,” he said. The other ministers from Limpopo are Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, the new Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, and Dr Aaron Motswaledi, who was appointed as the new Minister of Health.