Time to ‘shape up or ship out’, Mbalula warns ANC MPs

Just days after President Cyril Ramaphosa reshuffled his Cabinet, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula warned ministers they will be removed from office if they drop the ball.

Mbalula was speaking at an ANC Youth League fundraising breakfast at Bryanston Country Club on Wednesday.

“When we meet in every lekgotla, [ANC national working committee member] Fébé Potgieter-Gqubule will … analyse [departments] and government performance. We will show them if they are moving ahead or if they are not,” Mbalula said.

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“Those who do not perform, their days are numbered. If you don’t perform, you are out. We are also going to research the issue of local government and put a barometer there.”

Political analyst Dr Sithembile Mbete said it was unlikely Mbalula would enforce the removal of nonperforming ministers with less than 18 months to go until the national elections.

“The first question is, what does he mean by ‘perform’ because we have heard a lot about there being performance agreements between ministers and the president, but we do not know what they say or what they ask, so it’s performance according to what standard?” Mbete asked.

Mbalula ‘should not’ be taken seriously

Mbalula’s threats should not be taken seriously because he “says these sorts of things all the time”.

“I do not think it is something to look too much into. It is part of his style as a politician. We do know, since he has been appointed as secretary-general, he has been flexing a lot of muscles,” she said.

Mbalula also raised concerns about the performance of the security cluster ministers, which include Police Minister Bheki Cele, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Thandi Modise and Justice Minister Ronald Lamola.

“We will sit with those comrades and talk to them, together with the president, about what we need from them going forward. We just need them to twist and turn and move faster.

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“We are in charge, we are the government, and we can’t just complain. We will share our concerns with the comrades because we believe in their leadership in turning things around,” he said.

“We are not happy in terms of how we fight crime and lawlessness. The authority of the state must be felt. “We have people who go around shutting down the country as they wish – as if we are running a banana republic, thugs are running amok. We need a strategic focus and intervention.”

Cabinet reshuffle delay

Mbalula dismissed allegations that Ramaphosa could not decide on his Cabinet because he did not want or trust his new deputy, Paul Mashatile. He said there had never been any intention from the president, nor anyone in the ANC, to prevent Mashatile from being Ramaphosa’s second-in-command.

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“We have only learned about these conspiracy theories in the public domain. The president made the commitment Mashatile will be the deputy president of the country,” he said.

“The delay in the reshuffle in the main was that we had to get people from the provinces, amend the list, change people and negotiate for others to step back and give us space to appoint some of the comrades we have appointed.

“We urge our members to move ahead post-conference, focus on the interests of our people and not be misguided by unfounded rumours.”

He also warned fired Eskom chief executive André de Ruyter that, should he fail to produce evidence of the party being corrupt by yesterday, the party would go ahead with a lawsuit because De Ruyter’s allegations had tarnished the ANC’s good name.

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“We will see today if he has responded because it’s the deadline; by tomorrow we will move ahead. If he has allegations about individuals, even if they are ANC members, we have challenged him to take them on.

“What we will not accept is to be told the ANC is corrupt without any evidence,” Mbalula said.

“The ANC had not sent any of its members to go and do wrongdoings… We can’t take responsibility and take this attack on our integrity, which is already battered.”

– lungam@citizen.co.za