Zuma said this is the biggest change in his government since he took office in May 2009.

"Given the fact that we still face serious challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality in the country, government has to work at a faster pace to change the lives of the poor," Zuma said.

Among those axed was controversial communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda, a senior official in the ruling African National Congress (ANC), who previously served as the head of the South African National Defence Force.

Also sacked was Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, the minister for women, children and people with disabilities, who had faced criticism for failing to get the newly established ministry off the ground.

There were no changes however at key ministries such as finance, foreign affairs and home affairs. The country's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, welcomed the reshuffle.

Explaining the changes, Zuma said: "Access to basic services is still as important as it was when we attained our freedom in 1994.

"Given the fact that we still face serious challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality in the country, government has to work at a faster pace to change the lives of the poor.

"Our people need to see a visible improvement in the delivery of water, electricity, health care, education, social security, civic services, safety and security and a host of other basic needs.

"We have the resources, including skilled and experienced senior staff, who has to ensure that these services reach our people, under the leadership of their ministers and deputy ministers."

The Democratic Alliance's parliamentary leader Athol Trollip welcomed the reshuffle. It showed, "a positive indication of renewed focus on accountability," he said in a statement.

Zuma had made the right choice to remove ministers such as Nyanda, and Mayende-Sibiya, he said. "these ministers did not perform, and President Zuma made the right decision to remove them from their positions".

Among those promoted was former youth firebrand Fikile Mbalula, credited with leading the campaign that saw Zuma elected ANC president in 2007. Formerly deputy police minister he now becomes minister of sport and recreation.

Another former ANC youth wing leader, Malusi Gigaba, moved from deputy minister of home affairs to minister of public enterprise. Perhaps the most high-profile departure of the reshuffle was that of Nyanda, who was replaced by his deputy minister Roy Padayachie.

But Nyanda's sacking came after a string of incidents that had attracted the wrong kind of publicity.

Most recently, he had come under fire for preferring a five-star Cape Town hotel to his official ministerial accommodation.

During his time as head of the nation's armed forces, he was in the spotlight when a company he partially owned received tenders worth millions of dollars from the army.

And he had been criticised for owning shares in one of the country's mobile telecommunications operators while he was communications minister, which critics said constituted a conflict of interest.

Nyanda also made headlines in July when he fired the director-general at his department after she questioned tender irregularities in the ministry.

One senior figure who escaped the axe despite coming under fire in recent months was Richard Baloyi, who heads the public service and administration ministry.

He was criticised for his handling of the recent three-week civil servants' strike which crippled public schools and hospitals.

But Zuma kept him in his post, choosing instead to give him a deputy minister, Ayanda Dlodlo.

The government's leftist allies in labour federation COSATU and the South African Communist Party have piled pressure on Zuma to create more jobs and lift economic growth in Africa's biggest economy.

Relations between the ruling ANC and COSATU have soured over a public sector strike which was settled in October with a 7.5 percent wage increase -- double that of the rate of inflation.

The government said last week that it aimed to create 5 million jobs over the next decade.

The change was one of the most radical overhauls of the South African cabinet in several years and some of the changes could be due to Zuma making a concession to his leftist labour and communist allies, said Nel Marais, analyst at Executive Research Associates.


Zuma appointed Radhakrishna Padayachie as the new communications minister.

Zuma appointed new ministers for the communications, labour, sports, public works, public enterprises, arts and culture and social development ministries.

He moved Arts and Culture minister Lulu Xingwana to the Women's Ministry and Social Development Minister Edna Molewa to the Water and Environmental Affairs Ministry.

He also created new deputy minister posts in the energy and minerals resources ministries.