We will just have to wait out Zuma and his cabinet of cronies
SOUTH Africa may have a tiny wealthy upper crust, but for the majority of its people eking out a living remains a daily struggle. It is therefore criminal that anything between R75-million and R120-million was spent on President Jacob Zuma’s elaborate inauguration. That such an amount could be splashed out with such gay abandon is a sign of how far we’ve regressed morally.
One can understand that, being new in this game, we want to flaunt our so-called democracy. But there can be no moral justification for such an extravagant exercise, especially as it was Zuma’s second bite at the cherry. He could easily have invited the chief justice to do the deed in his office. But, then, spending taxpayers’ money cost-effectively has never been Zuma’s main concern.
One may argue that R120-million is not a lot of money in the scheme of things. But it’s the message that such irresponsible spending sends.
I watched the whole shindig from a village in Mpumalanga. The roads are impassable and water is hard to get. Containers are dutifully lined up on the rutted little paths daily in the hope that the water tanker will make a turn. It rarely does.
Some years ago, there was excitement in the village when workmen began laying water pipes. Nothing came of it. A company hired to build pit latrines apparently went belly-up before the job was done.
Apartheid understandably forgot them, but 20 years after democracy these people still exist on the margins. It’s a life far removed from Saturday’s revellers at the Union Buildings. But they remain hopeful that one day a better life will make its welcome, if belated, appearance.
Many still walk around in T-shirts emblazoned with Zuma’s face, more out of necessity than as a political statement.
The government tends to talk up its achievements, especially during elections — more people have access to water, roads, etcetera. In most cases, the situation is not as rosy as it is painted. Protests always draw attention — and resources — to urban areas. Rural areas are often forgotten. Out of sight, out of mind.
Nomvula Mokonyane, the new minister of water and sanitation, has her work cut out for her. Many commiserated with the bookish Kader Asmal when Nelson Mandela appointed him minister of water affairs. What was a law professor to do with a boring subject like water, they asked.
But Asmal made the provision of water a sexy subject, turning his portfolio into a hub of service delivery. However, once he was replaced, the ANC dropped the ball.
Elevating Mokonyane and dropping Paul Mashatile is perhaps Zuma’s boldest political statement, almost defiant. He’s taken sides in a province the ANC came very close to losing. The disunity may spell danger to its chances in Gauteng in the municipal elections.
Looking at the cabinet, one would swear Zuma lived on a different planet from the rest of us. It is bloated and crawling with communists and cronies from KwaZulu-Natal.
Apart from bringing proven skills and competence, ministers should be a fine example of moral rectitude and integrity. They should represent what is good in us, something we can aspire to. But, barring a few exceptions, Zuma’s team is no model for probity. There are rotten apples in the basket.
The scandal-plagued Tina JoematPettersson, who’s made a mess at fisheries, seems to be a cat with nine lives. Ngoako Ramathlodi, with a cloud still hanging over him and the target of a Scorpions probe before he helped to kill the unit, has finally made it to the cabinet. Hopefully, Malusi Gigaba at home affairs will have the authority to buy all the flowers he needs for his loved ones. He’s being rewarded for the damage he’s done at public enterprises, like messing up the management at Eskom and South African Airways.
Mildred Oliphant, the somnambulant labour minister, retains her job despite the running sore that is Marikana and the costliest mining strike in the new South Africa. The economy is dipping into recession as a result.
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who presided over the slaughter of our troops in the Central African Republic, is back. There’s just no consequence for laggards. They get recycled and retreaded.
Even Bheki Cele, who — we were told — could hardly run a tap, is back in harness.
It’s clear that integrity and competence were never the overriding criteria in appointing the cabinet.
We need to come to terms with the fact that the presidency is something that’s beyond Zuma’s competence. We have to be at peace with that. We will have to wait for the nightmare to pass and hope that, once he’s gone, we will be able to reverse whatever damage his tenure has inflicted.
We probably can live with the looting and incompetence. Money or goods can always be replaced. The biggest injury inflicted by the Zuma regime will be in the desecration of the moral fibre of our society.
That, like apartheid, could take years to fix.