Former president Kgalema Motlanthe said citizens should be concerned about cabinet reshuffles as they could have harsh consequences for the country, according to a News24 report.
He said that changing ministers means new senior management is brought into a department by an incoming minister and they are expected to quickly learn what is happening in that particular sector.
"It shouldn't happen that way, we should be very very very worried each time there is a reshuffle, it means the entire experienced team is set aside and a new team is brought in, because the state must always be stable," he said.
Motlanthe was speaking at the launch of the Olof Palme Youth Education Initiative at Midrand High School on Friday.
He further explained that the country's Constitution allows citizens to be active in changing the situation and for democracy to prevail.
"Once we are passive and we are not active, and we don't know and understand our rights, democracy can go terribly wrong, it can be skewed, and work for those who can afford it and never work for those who can't afford it," he said.
On Tuesday, President Jacob Zuma again surprised South Africans with another Cabinet reshuffle this year, making some curious appointments into key ministries while axing SA Communist Party (SACP) boss Blade Nzimande.
The move threw the ANC's tripartite alliance, which is already on edge, into chaos and the rand tanked as soon as the announcement was made.