Pretoria - Former Cape Town mayor Patricia De Lille has made a surprise addition to President Cyril Ramaphosa's Cabinet as the minister of Public Works and Infrastructure.
De Lille is the leader of the newly formed GOOD party and her inclusion has come as a surprise for many South Africans.
She formed the party in December 2018 months after her resignation from the DA following a public spat and legal battles with the party.
The law does permit the president to appoint ministers that are members of Parliament and he can have two picks from outside Parliament.
Ramaphosa made his cabinet announcement on Wednesday night ending weeks of speculations over his much-anticipated cabinet.
De Lille said on Wednesday night: "I am deeply honoured and humbled to have received the call to serve as a minister of South Africa's new cabinet. I have fought for justice in our country for more than 40 years and have no plans to give up fighting. I pledge to continue the struggle for dignity and fairness for all South Africans.
"I want to thank all my colleagues in the GOOD movement, and all who voted for GOOD, for their hard work and belief that change is possible, that the country we dreamed of 25 years ago is achievable.
"I will continue to lead GOOD, and to fight for a responsible, accountable and compassionate government. On President Ramaphosa's election to the Presidency last week I pledged GOOD's constructive support for turning South Africa around. This support we will wholeheartedly give, but I will be joining President Ramaphosa's executive with open eyes and ears as a representative of good South Africans of integrity who love their country and demand better of their leaders. It is time for South Africans."
Along with De Lille's inclusion, another key aspect of his address was the reduced size of his Cabinet. Former president Jacob Zuma's Cabinet was often criticised for being bloated and expensive.
Ramaphosa stressed that cutting down the number of ministers and combining some departments was part of his mission to reconfigure the state.
Affected departments include: Trade and Industry, which was combined with Economic Development, Higher Education and Training, combined with Science and Technology; Environmental Affairs, merged with Forestry and Fisheries; Agriculture, combined with Land Reform and Rural Development; Mineral Resources, merged with with Energy; Human Settlements, combined with Water and Sanitation and Sports and Recreation, which has been combined with Arts and Culture
The president has also not included scandal-prone individuals such as former social development minister Bathabile Dlamini who has been criticised and accused of being a failure in her portfolio.
Former long-serving minister Jeff Radebe also did not make the cut. Radebe had served as the minister in presidency and in a variety of other portfolios over the years.
Michael Masutha is also not returning.