New Zuma appointee shrugs off 'useless' tag

When newly appointed State Security Minister Bongani Bongo received a call from President Jacob Zuma he was leaving home on his way to parliament.

The MP from Mpumalanga was meant to spend Tuesday in a committee meeting on justice and constitutional development and then speak during a debate in the National Assembly at 2pm.

"You don't expect the president to call . there is some 200-and-something MPs of the ANC and the president is in charge of the executive, so I was not expecting it," he said.

Bongo said Zuma told him he was appointing him minister of intelligence but did not explain why.

"I am well-versed in issues of security. It is a cluster I'm familiar with," he said.

Bongo's appointment was announced without explanation and raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.

EFF leader Julius Malema said Bongo was "useless" and would be a proxy for his predecessor, David Mahlobo.

Bongo said he had dealt with "security issues" since he was a student and admitted that Mahlobo was a close friend with whom he led the ANC Youth League and the ANC in Mpumalanga.

Malema alleged at a press conference on Tuesday that Mahlobo would run his new department, Energy, but still have a hand in State Security.

Bongo is a lawyer and worked as a legal adviser in the government for 14 years before becoming chief director in Mpumalanga premier David Mabuza's office.

"I was dealing with security in Mpumalanga. It's not new to me," he said.

Bongo said he did not know what the task ahead looked like but said he was looking forward to taking up his new appointment.

He will be briefed about what is required of him on Wednesday.

"I'm honoured by the invitation of the president to assist him in the area of State Security," he said.