Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Outgoing Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula has penned a farewell to the South African sporting community in which he thanks SASCOC and their associated bodies for their support.
As part of Jacob Zuma's cabinet shuffle, Mbalula will now be starting his new role as Minister of Police as Thembelani Nxesi takes up the position of Minister of Sport.
Mbalula had been a vocally and visibly passionate sports fan since he was given the Sport Minister post all the way back in 2010, making a name for himself as a politician who enjoyed his celebrity status.
Incredibly active on social media and never shy to share photographs of himself with the rich and famous, Mbalula was given the nickname 'Razzmatazz' during his Sports Minister stint.
He has now penned a farewell message that was released through his department on Friday.
Full Mbalula statement:
"I approach this topic a with deep sense of nostalgia amid camaraderie and fellowship. I am and through this correspondence officially alerting you and officially informing sports movement that the President of the Republic of South Africa deployed me to the Ministry of the South African Police Service (SAPS), as a cadre of the movement I accepted the deployment.
I take this opportunity to thank the sports movement in your capacity as the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Commitee (SASCOC) and sport bodies for your collegial partnership over the past six years in the efforts to development and transform the South African sport and recreation landscape.
We have indeed as a collective traversed and ventured into uncharted territories in our quest to bring about a non-racial, democratic and non-sexist system in our country. Our National Sport and Recreation Plan (NSRP) is the barometer through which we measure our success or lack thereof.
I am hopeful it shall be proved in our account for the past years we traversed that the National Sport and Recreation Plan (NSRP) as encapsulated in the National Development Plan (NDP) will find resonance in our national psyche as it inspires us to do more in sport and recreation. I am looking forward to collaborating with you in the spirit to develop and transform sport and recreation in South Africa.
We are looking forward to the new challenge and I will tackle it with the bravado and tenacity it deserves."
