Mid-Week Reflections: ‘Eye of the Needle’ must give us astute Cabinet

Just after 5pm this afternon, Cyril Ramaphosa took an oath of office, he passed on the affirmation as he is Christian, and is now officially President of the Republic of South Africa.

But don’t pop the champagne yet, the ruling party has to be reminded it chose chronic absenteeism when it was required to provide courageous leadership. Many chose ministerial handbook perks instead of firing rogue Zuma.

In true comeuppance style, the ruling party ought to be reminded how we almost became a pseudo-mafia lawless state. One only has to look at how the Hawks are suddenly busier than they have ever been. We can subjectively argue the last time our criminal justice system had its wheel turning was a few months before the Scorpions were disbanded by clapping ANC members in Parliament to curry favour with Zuma the new sheriff in town then.

The ruling party must be reminded in idiot-proof language the very same leaders who are today advocates of clean governance and champions of service delivery to “our people” are the same leaders who erected a barbed wire around Zuma when the country was evidently heading towards Banana territory. It was the judiciary, the opposition and brave media that buffered that quick descent.

Perhaps they are hoping for a collective amnesia from South Africans, or banking on the euphoria that will engulf the country in the days after Zuma relented to what most South Africans had hoped he will do for a while to exonerate themselves of their contribution towards the current catastrophic socio-economic mess we are in. They need to remember as they travel in state issued luxury SUV cars worth millions, many citizens go to bed hungry every night.

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Here’s the simple truth the party must be reminded of, almost every member of the NEC, which in Damascan-style pulled rank over Zuma and finally did what it should have done midway through his first term, was complicit in Zuma’s destruction of state owned entities, subversion of justice, looting of state coffers through an illegal immigrant business family, cadre deployment to the detriment of the economy and purging of disciplined officials.

The ANC ought to redeem itself if it wishes to retain its self-proclaimed position as “leader of society” and salvage its own support. If they think losing three major metro areas is not an indicator of things to come in 2019 perhaps they are living in a parallel universe as much as their former president who last night told the world that his glorious legacy was besmirched and with illusions of grandeur said he had been good for South Africa.

The first order of business, articulated in big words in their own “eye of the needle” document, is for the ANC to stop thinking it is is doing South Africans a favour. The party was not bequeathed natural right to be in power. Starting with their choice of spokespersons, ministers who visit Parliament to sleep, deployees in civil service who think they are to be ingrained with their political principals and failing to be responsive to South Africans.

The party then need to swiftly remove deadwood from political office and public service. A pig with lipstick is still a pig and here’s who they ought to look at Cabinet, rogue and corrupt MPs, Gupta-linked Premiers and their MECs, mayors and MMCs. The party also ought to decidedly remove DGs implicated in multi-million rand corruption cases and hand them over to the Hawks and instill ‘Batho Pele’ principles as the driver of service delivery.

When ‘Silili the Cupcake Matamela’ announces his Cabinet, he must fire the following people: Zenzeni Zokwana; Nathi Mthethwa; Des van Rooyen; Kebby Maphatsoe; David Mahlobo; Malusi Gigaba; Sfiso Buthelezi; Mildred Oliphant; Mozebenzi Zwane; Nkosinathi Nhleko; Bathabile Dlamini; Fikile Mbalula; Bongani Mkhongi; Lynn Brown; Ben Martins; Faith Muthambi; Bongani Bongo; Joe Maswanganyi and Nomvula Mokonyane.