Scoundrels haunt the corridors of power as good men bow out

LAST week, Kgalema Motlanthe, our invincible deputy president, and Trevor Manuel said their goodbyes to parliament and public life. It was a low-key affair. They sneaked out, taking with them a chunk of the intellectual heft still left on the government benches.

It would be amiss of us not to celebrate their contribution, especially during dark moments such as these, when scoundrels seem to be walking the corridors of power. We have to do it, if only to remind ourselves — or savour the fact — that there was a time in our brief history when good men and women were drawn to public service by no other inducement except their desire to serve — and they served with honour. They deserve our thanks, and they should serve as a beacon for those who follow.

Motlanthe had to go. He had overstayed his welcome. He leaves the stage a spent force. He has been used and then spewed out. Even his allies had given up on him. His prevarication in Mangaung — challenging Jacob Zuma for the leadership when his heart was clearly not in it — exasperated his allies and left them cruelly exposed to the spiteful, almost gleeful vengeance of a triumphant president and his supporters.

Motlanthe could have been let go after the conference, but Zuma wanted to perpetuate the lie that, unlike his predecessor, the party was united behind him. It would be unfair, however, to judge Motlanthe solely on his performance in Mangaung. South Africa owes him a debt of gratitude. His calm demeanour as stand-in president after the illegal removal of Thabo Mbeki from power helped to settle the country’s nerves. Things could have gone horribly wrong.

Zuma supporters should also be reminded that had Motlanthe not stood by their man after his expulsion from the Mbeki government, he would probably be cooling his heels in prison, instead of lording it at the Union Buildings. Motlanthe intervened, perhaps unwisely, at crucial stages of Zuma’s inexorable rise to power.

Manuel has been there from the beginning. His stature seemed to grow during his lengthy time in office. He is probably the most significant figure of the postapartheid era, dwarfed only by the two presidents he served so magnificently. To the left, he was a lightning rod for unpopular economic policies, but he knew his story. And he had the kind of support from Mbeki that Pravin Gordhan does not seem to enjoy under Zuma.

But it was not an auspicious start. To appease foreign investors still sceptical of the ANC, Nelson Mandela had first appointed two pillars of the old establishment as finance minister, which infuriated some in his party. But it calmed the markets.

However, Manuel’s appointment two years later unleashed racial and ideological bile that shocked those who had thought South Africa had turned over a new leaf. It was the sort of prejudice that, years later, was to be visited upon Tito Mboweni when he became Reserve Bank governor. Even Manuel’s dancing skills came in for scrutiny. Apparently, the markets do not take kindly to poor dancers. But he got down to work. Soon he had people eating out of his hand. Like Mandela before him, his harshest critics were to become his most fervent admirers. His budget speeches — the breadth of his erudition — were followed with keen interest.

He made mistakes — and enemies — along the way. Some blame him for the arms deal. But not all the skeletons are out of the cupboard. The umbrella incident in Polokwane points to a volcanic temper. There is no doubt, however, that his handling of the economy had a lot to do with South Africa, especially its banking system, surviving the financial crisis better than most countries.

His record invites comparison with his successor. Gordhan is a decent man. He remains an efficient tax collector. But he seems oblivious to the daily struggles of the ordinary person. He has taken it on himself to impose an unpopular e-tolling system despite the fact that the government is raking in billions from the fuel levy. And, in his budget speech last month, he increased the fuel levy. So, with another fuel price increase in the pipeline, the consumer will be hit with a double whammy next month.

But what is more troubling is his role — or lack of it — in the Nkandla debacle. If there is anybody who should be held accountable for this obscenity, apart from Zuma himself, it is the minister of finance. How did this largesse escape the Treasury’s supposedly watchful eye? He has either lain low when this matter is discussed or offered unconvincing responses. A country descending deeper into an abyss of corruption requires vigilance at the till. Gordhan can do no worse than follow in his predecessor’s footsteps.

Manuel offers a template of the ideal cabinet minister. If only we could clone him. If we knew what was good for South Africa, he would not be sauntering off into the sunset. He would be at the helm as our president. Comment on this: write to tellus@sundaytimes.co.za or SMS us at 33971 www.timeslive.co.za