Let’s ponder a SA after Zuma

MOST South Africans are so enamoured with the long-awaited exit of President Jacob Zuma that we may have given little thought to what a post Zuma South Africa should look like.

Forcing a reluctant Zuma to vacate office on terms acceptable to all, has been such a long and onerous task that it has become an end in itself.

But, it is not. What we are really looking to achieve through Zuma’s exit is a return to core constitutional values including respect for the rule of law, building a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights, and a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and where every citizen is equally protected by law.

We must have a government truly committed to improving the quality of life of all its citizens.

This must be at the heart of all that Cyril Ramaphosa does once he has found a way to dissolve the glue cementing Zuma to the seat of power.

He needs an able, proven and willing team to achieve these ends. What he does not need is the current, bloated, unwieldy and unproductive Zuma executive. Few of them have had the interest of the citizenry at heart in all that they do.

This cabinet has doubled in size from 17 ministries in Nelson Mandela’s time to 35 under Zuma’s watch. He has 35 ministers and 37 deputy ministers earning well over R150-million a year in salaries alone.

Add to that the perks of the job such as security, free housing in two cities, two official luxury cars, luxury international and local travel and hotel stays, food, and staff, and the bill balloons to billions of rands. VIP protection alone reportedly cost some R2 billion a year. Each one of those ministries is supported by a bloated civil service staff complement with a public sector wage bill which now soaks up some 40% of government spend. Rationalisation is vital to free up money for education, social development, and health.

And, once he has cut the size of his cabinet – and rationalised the size of the public sector – he has to look at the calibre of the people inhabiting both, in particular his cabinet. Those exposed as thugs, thieves or incompetents must be shuffled off.

Some that come easily to mind after various shockingly public debacles include Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown, Public Service and Administration Minister Faith Muthambi, Energy Minister David Mahlobo, State Security Minister Bongani Bongo and Cooperative Governance Minister Des van Rooyen.

Those that replace them must be appointed for their ability and willingness to get the job done and not be compromise appointments who are retained to keep the Zuma faction happy. Despite all the work that needs to be done, the country is in an optimistic space. The man who will be president was also one of the main architects of our remarkable constitution. Ramaphosa understands it and will take it far more seriously than the rogue he succeeds.