Jacob Zuma builds cabinet to tackle poverty in South Africa

The country's new president, whose controversial history and leftist allies had caused concern, swelled the ranks of cabinet in a massive overhaul of government to put more focus on key ministries and create a new system of oversight.

"In many respects it makes great sense, the institutional redesign of cabinet portfolios," said Susan Booysen, a political analyst at the Wits University in Johannesburg.

"It gives the sense that they know exactly where some of the implementation problems are, in planning and monitoring," she said. "The development theme comes out very strongly. More of the departments have a development in their designation than they had previously."

The new team was to take office Monday as the economy is sliding toward recession, dragged down by the global economic crisis, making it even harder to pull down an unemployment rate estimated at 40 percent.

They also face the enduring legacy of poverty, especially in rural areas, that have been forgotten in the recent boom years.