Xasa brings political expertise to sport portfolio

A progressive move was made by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his Cabinet reshuffle on Monday with the appointment of Tokozile Xasa as the new minister of sport and recreation.

Xasa is the first woman to hold the position, replacing Thulas Nxesi, who had spent 11 months in charge after he took over from livewire predecessor Fikile Mbalula in March last year.

The 52-year-old Xasa has previously held the post of minister of tourism and while she apparently has not had a background in sport at a national level, she has brought a fair amount of political experience into the role.

A former mayor of the King Sabatha Dalindyebo District Municipality in the Eastern Cape, she also previously served as MEC for local government and traditional affairs at provincial level.

Once a high school teacher, Xasa holds various tertiary qualifications, including a BA from the University of Transkei and a Masters degree in public administration from the University of Fort Hare.

Among the challenges she has taken over are an ongoing transformation battle and an inquiry launched this month into governance issues at the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee.

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