Ramaphosa missed the boat with Cabinet reshuffle

Will President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet reshuffle bring about the necessary action to change the country’s waning fortunes, or is it more of the same – replacing some underperforming ministers with others that have been loyal to his cause?

In what seemed an age after securing his second term as president of the ANC at the end of last year, Ramaphosa finally showed his hand with his Cabinet reshuffle on Monday night. And what he has shown is nothing to be celebrated.

In fact, the few changes are considerably underwhelming as his already inflated Cabinet are short on expertise and will now cost the taxpayer even more – something we can ill afford.

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In Maropene Ramokgopa he brought in a minister who will be responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluation, while also introducing Kgosientsho Ramokgopa as his new minister of electricity. He also finally named Paul Mashatile as his deputy president.

There were some positive changes too in transport, sports, arts, culture and recreation, and tourism, but how on earth could Police Minister Bheki Cele keep his job?

On the surface, it looks as though Ramaphosa has chosen a Cabinet that will support him. He’s kept some of his political foes within sight, while also booting out a number of his outspoken critics and former president Jacob Zuma’s allies.

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Lindiwe Sisulu, Nathi Mthethwa and Maite Nkoana-Mashabane were shown the door. Due to the dire performances of so many of his ministers, and the grim position SA finds itself because of load shedding, high unemployment and an alarming crime rate, his changes were never going to be welcomed by many outside of his circle.

There’s a feeling the president merely rearranged the damaged furniture, has not acted against those ministers tainted at the Zondo commission and rewarded those for being loyal to him.

Fixing the myriad of issues plaguing this country will not be resolved by these “tweaks”.

DA leader John Steenhuisen said the reshuffle was “gratuitous bloating”, the African Transformation Movement and Economic Freedom Fighters questioned how the president could make these changes with the Phala Phala scandal hovering above his head, and Build One South Africa’s Mmusi Maimane labelled the change as a “window dressing exercise in an old age home of corruption”.

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What’s concerning is that government brings in a new department for every problem it cannot solve – and there are many.

Yes, load shedding is crippling the country and needs urgent attention, but what will a minister of electricity bring to the party where others have failed before him?

The power crisis is not new, and even Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe suggested the new role was a project manager at best.

The new electricity minister will have to work with someone who doesn’t even believe in the job, while we won’t even start on how disappointing Pravin Gordhan has been as minister of public enterprises. Have a problem?

Throw more more ministers and money at it. But the president knows best, it seems.

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Ramaphosa said: “I have instructed both new and existing members of Cabinet to act with speed and urgency to address the challenges that our country faces. I expect them to fulfil their tasks with rigour and dedication, to adopt a zero tolerance approach to corruption wherever it exists, and to place the interests of the people of South Africa foremost in the work that they do. This is the standard that I will hold them to.”

It all sounds far too familiar. Sadly, the reshuffle is an opportunity missed.