‘Scapegoat’ Dlamini’s resignation was hypocritical – analyst

Former minister Bathabile Dlamini still refuses to accept accountability for her failures in her former social development portfolio, choosing to walk away from her responsibilities as a member of parliament.

This comes after Dlamini surprised the country with her letter of resignation to ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule yesterday, adding to the growing list of former ANC ministers who were not picked for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.

In her letter, she took the opportunity to thank the ANC for allowing her to “serve the nation”, but also lamented that she was made to be a “scapegoat”.

She said she was made an “easy target” regarding her dealings with Net 1 UEPS Technologies subsidiary Cash Paymaster Services (CPS) and the welfare payment contract, which was ruled to be illegal in 2014 by the Constitutional Court.

She lamented in the letter that government actually needed “specialists” to amend the critical nature of the grant system.

Independent political analyst Ralph Mathekga felt Dlamini’s decision to resign was hypocritical.

“I think that if ANC members were genuine in proclaiming to serve where the party sent them, they would then gladly serve as ordinary MPs,” he said. “The reality is that they serve where they seek to maximize their personal interest, hence resignations to protect pensions and benefits.”

Politics professor Mcebisi Ndletyana disagreed that Dlamini’s actions were hypocritical and said it was done purely out of “self-preservation”.

“People don’t always do what they say,” said Ndletyana. “They put their priorities first. This can be looked at as a financial decision. Some people do not feel good about going back to serve as a back bencher.”

Political analyst Zamikhaya Maseti agreed with this.

“Most of these resignations are a clear indication of the self-serving nature of these leaders. They think about themselves and their immediate families. Dlamini’s resignation should be understood within that context,” he said.

Mathekga said in the matter of Dlamini, due to all the controversies surrounding her “there was no way she was going to make it to parliament”.

“Her career was beyond salvage.”

Political analyst Gareth van Onselen said although he welcomed the resignations, including that of Dlamini, there was a bad side to it.

“While it is good news as it is in the interest of the public, there is cause for concern because they were not held accountable for showing signs of unethical behaviour or mismanagement, which is an indication that there is no consequence,” said Van Onselen.

Dlamini remains president of the ANC Women’s League.

– jenniffero@citizen.co.za

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