Make merit your priority, Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa was “shocked” by what he saw in the Northern Cape during the ANC’s birthday bash recently. He said, in his letter to the country this week, that it was “disheartening to see that, despite progress in many areas, there were several glaring instances of service delivery failures”.

Hardly had he finished posting his comments on the internet than the people of the QwaQwa area started setting things alight in their frustration at the lack of performance by government.

Ramaphosa then pledged that “we are committed to end the practice of poorly qualified individuals being parachuted into positions of authority through political patronage. Officials and managers must possess the right financial and technical skills and other expertise”.

We are shocked, Mr President, that you only realised this now – that the ANC’s cadre deployment, along with the organisation’s own enrichment scheme, Black Economic Empowerment, has brought many municipalities, large and small, to their knees.

If you are serious, sir, then make merit your priority.

You can also look to the large pool of experienced people who have left the civil service – through retirement or because they were forced out by “transformation” initiatives.

They’re only too willing – and able – to help.

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