Newly appointed Deputy Minister of Small Business Development Jane Sithole has commended the government of national unity for granting former opposition parties a chance to display their leadership in rendering a service to the communities.
“Due to the unity I saw in the department I’m assigned to, I believe we will achieve a lot. When I met the team for the first time, it seemed like we had known each other for a long time. This gives me hope that it will be easy to work together… The good team spirit I noticed was amazing. “I was phoned and informed that my name was submitted to the president as one of the people to be appointed. In the beginning, it felt unreal, I was so excited and surprised… but at the end of the day, I’m happy I was given a chance to serve our people.”while working as deputy minister, Sithole said she was ready to tackle the challenge. She said the parliamentary schedule was designed to allow members to also perform the duties of their political parties.
Sithole started her career with the DA about 24 years ago when she served as a party agent in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga. She was promoted to represent the party in the Nkangala district municipality and later moved to the Mpumalanga provincial legislature where she has served for more than 10 years.“Those were the hardest times because we led a team of few people. I remember a day when we were campaigning and community members attacked us and pelted us with stones,” she said.