Pictures: Neil McCartney, Nigel Sibanda, Gallo Images and Michel Bega
As South Africans hold their breath in anticipation of the cabinet appointments under the new political administration, everyone is talking about who should return and who not based on their previous performance.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) is also watching out for the possibility of change. “These appointments are crucial, as they either introduce new leaders with fresh perspectives or retain current ministers whose past performance will affect future outcomes,” says Wayne Duvenage, CEO of Outa.
“However, we are aware of the fact that in some cases continuity will serve the country better, but only if previous leadership has been effective and their plans need to be sustained.”
Duvenage says the forthcoming appointments will resonate differently with various stakeholders, from government staff and administrators to the public who rely on these ministries for services. The third segment of “beneficiaries” who are watching these appointments with keen interest are those involved in corruption, as their interests are significantly affected by these decisions.
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“From Outa’s perspective, we believe meaningful change for the better will come if president Cyril Ramaphosa makes the right cabinet appointments. We need strong leaders, especially in ministerial departments which consistently underperformed, exhibited gross procurement irregularities and suffered from corruption and maladministration, severely affecting the country’s economy, unemployment and poverty levels.”
He says Outa firmly believes that three ministers from the sixth administration should not be reappointed. They are Gwede Mantashe from the department of mineral resources and energy, Dr Blade Nzimande from the department of higher education and the minister of transport, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
According to Duvenage, systemic inefficiencies, mismanagement, irregularities in procurement processes and corruption were observed in all three of these departments. “Reappointing these ministers would perpetuate poor performance, with more negative consequences for the country, further affecting service delivery to the people.”
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Under minister Mantashe, the mining catastrophe system (SAMRAD) collapsed, impacting negatively on transparency and investment in South Africa’s mining sector. Despite promises to address these issues over the past few years, no substantial progress has been made.
In addition, the lack of transparency when it comes to diesel procurement for Eskom’s peak power usage and other dubious activities on his watch, coupled with his alleged involvement in state capture transactions as reported by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo, makes Mantashe unfit for any cabinet role.
Nzimande’s tenure at the department of higher education was marred by numerous procurement irregularities within several Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), universities, TVET colleges and the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Duvenage says these issues, coupled with the many gross irregularities Outa exposed at NSFAS and the fact that several of the SETAs and NSFAS were placed under administration, indicates a severe lack of accountability, poor oversight and poor leadership from Nzimande.
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Her short tenure as the minister of transport and previous role as deputy minister was disappointing. The continuous challenges with road safety, corruption in driver’s licence testing and inefficiencies in the eNatis vehicle registry system are significant concerns, Duvenage says.
“The replacement and upgrade of the driver’s licence card machine has taken several tenders and years to address, but to no avail. In addition, the recent decision to extend the validity period of the driver’s licence from five to eight years has now been reversed, with no meaningful explanation.”
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) also severely lacked transparency regarding a massive increases in fees for relicensing and registration of vehicles. The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) also lacked in transparency and is accused of significant maladministration abuses of their systems to raise revenue related to outstanding traffic fines. Delays in terminating e-tolls and declining service delivery at ports highlight serious systemic failures, he says.
“Outa engaged with several whistleblowers over the years from departments in these ministries and our investigation and research shows ineptitude and a lack of will to address the many gross inefficiencies and system challenges in these departments.
”These problems have been a burden to our country and its citizens and increased the cost of living and doing business in South Africa.”
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In addition to these concerns, Duvenage points out that Cele’s performance in the police ministry and minister Angie Motshekga’s tenure in basic education have been grossly inadequate.
“New and strong leadership is critical in tackling the decline in education standards and improving policing effectiveness in fighting growing levels of serious crime.”
However, Duvenage says it is very important to also praise good leadership. “Mchunu must be singled out for his efforts in the department of water and sanitation. He is doing a great job in undoing the damage caused by his predecessors, Nomvula Mokonyane and Lindiwe Sisulu.
“We commend him for his efforts, proactive approach and leadership. He made significant strides in managing water resources and replacing him would definitely be a setback for the department.”
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Outa also calls for new ministerial appointees to take up the president’s call to engage with civil society to find solutions and constructive interventions for the many challenges the country faces.
“Accountability and transparency in many areas of government, especifically in procurement, are paramount and oversight departments like Treasury must do more to enforce improvements and better use of the restricted supplier database. Strong, purpose-driven leaders, focused on the will of the people are needed more than ever.”
Duvenage emphasises that Ramaphosa has an opportunity to reshape the cabinet, despite potential discomfort among his political colleagues. “Bold changes are necessary to expose and address the inefficiencies and corruption within the government if we want to take the country forward.”
Outa again called on the president to consider reducing the size of the new cabinet. “A leaner cabinet can enhance efficiency, reduce administrative costs and ensure a more streamlined approach to governance. It would also demonstrate a commitment to prudent fiscal management and effective leadership.”
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