TO EVADE detailed explanations over gargantuan government spending on his rural hacienda, President Jacob Zuma and his acolytes have evoked everything from state secrecy and executive dignity to emotive claims about rural tradition and white prejudice. It’s a scatter-gun approach. Inconsistency seems to be developing into a defensive Cabinet habit. This succeeds only in tying the government into ever knottier complications.
When ministers begin to contradict each other, and sometimes even themselves, it betrays an increasing lack of central direction and conviction. Recently the government, despite a preoccupation with the "secrecy bill" and snooping foreign agents, has successfully exposed its own worst blunders. Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa resorted to court in an attempt to prevent an inquiry into policing in Khayelitsha, instituted by Western Cape premier Helen Zille at the request of community organisations. Mthethwa dismissed Zille’s commission as "politicking" and claimed there was no problem with vigilante murders in Khayelitsha.
Yet a report by national police commissioner Riah Phiyega, ironically lodged with Mthethwa’s own court papers, revealed there have been 78 vigilante killings in Khayelitsha in less than a year: an average of six a month. You don’t really need a vexatious official opposition when the government itself is quite capable of exposing its own "politicking" — and even provides the irrefutable evidence.
This was followed by a heated dispute about how many Gulfstream jet flights, at a cost of R200,000 a trip, Lindiwe Sisulu took when she was defence minister. Democratic Alliance MP David Maynier alleged she had taken 200 such flights between Cape Town and Pretoria. Sisulu, who is now the Minister of Public Service and Administration, replied that she used the luxury jet only 35 times and accused Maynier of having "a flea-infested body".
The question is: where did those irritating fleas come from? Maynier was never able to elicit particulars of Sisulu’s travel arrangements when she was in charge of defence, because she claimed such information was a state secret. Instead, he got his information from Sisulu’s Cabinet colleague. Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula said her predecessor took 203 executive-jet flights. In other words, Sisulu blamed a mere oxpecker for ticks and fleas that originated from the ox itself: another sign of a government in disarray.
It is catching. Earlier this month, the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) issued a "stern warning" against civil society groups that have resorted to court action over the Limpopo textbook fiasco. Sadtu, claiming it could resolve this textbook issue, denounced the groups as "imperialist neoliberal forces … used as proxies to pursue certain political agendas". Two weeks later, Sadtu in Limpopo issued a statement expressing doubt that the Department of Basic Education could deliver school textbooks in time for next year.
The champion of this hydra-headed style is Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson. During the farm unrest in the Western Cape, she sounded like rivals furiously at odds with one another: Joemat the fiery revolutionary versus Pettersson the bungling government functionary.
The strikers had "won", she thundered, because they made the government listen. And the deafest culprit? As minister responsible, herself. So if farm protests reignite next week, will Comrade Joemat chuck rocks at Minister Pettersson?
Above all, no sooner was there a row over whether Zuma had taken a bond on his rural domain than his friend and former funder, Vivian Reddy, rashly declared that Zuma should be commended for choosing Nkandla when he could pick the plushest areas in the country. That boast neatly drew attention to the fact that, at a cost of more than R250m, the president’s homestead, per square metre, probably is the nation’s plushest area.
Along Cape Town’s Atlantic seaboard, you can pick up an ocean-facing mansion with six bedrooms, staff quarters, infinity pool and similar status symbols for R20m. At the Nkandla rate, you could buy 10 of those in Bantry Bay, Camps Bay and any other bay — and still have enough left for a 1,119ha game farm in KwaZulu-Natal plus a brace of helicopters.
No amount of bluster about disrespect, foreign agents or covert agendas can make up for infighting, excess and drift.
It is no way to run a country. It is no way to end inequality.
Source: Business Day
Showing posts with label Tina Joemat-Pettersson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tina Joemat-Pettersson. Show all posts
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sunday, July 25, 2010
DG exodus an outrage, says Nehawu
The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), is "deeply outraged" about how many directors-general have been fired, suspended, resigned in questionable circumstances or threatened to resign in the past 18 months. The public sector union was reacting to the dismissal of Communications Director-General Mamodupi Mohlala by Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda on Friday after "some troubling and discomforting reports" of the minister's alleged interference in the issuing of tenders in the department.
Nehawu general secretary Fikile Majola said the "centre does not hold", intimated that President Jacob Zuma must lead and pointed out that the directors-general were in a state of flux, which bode ill for service delivery. "We expect better answers and compelling reasons about this (Mohlala) dismissal than the tired old line of 'broken trust' because we want to know what broke the trust," said Majola.
The past 18 months had seen the departure of directors-general Njabulo Nduli, Pam Yako, Jimmy Manyi, Thozi Gwanya, Portia Molefe, Vuyi Nxasana and Mohlala.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson told senior officials in the department this week that Nduli had gone on leave, a month after she criticised her director-general in Parliament for the department's regular production of substandard briefing documents. While sources said Nduli would not return, the ministry had refused to confirm or deny the termination of her contract. Dr Moshibudi Rampedi, who allegedly applied for a Food and Agriculture Organisation post last month, was appointed acting director-general this week.
Water Affairs Director-General Pam Yako has been on suspension for a year since being placed on special leave by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica pending the outcome of an investigation of alleged procurement irregularities. The auditor-general has since found that a contract with a service provider for information technology services was extended "on numerous occasions" to 49 months, and grew in value by 587 percent in the process to more than R1-billion. The extensions contravened the department's procurement and delegation of authority regulations.
Labour Director-General Jimmy Manyi was suspended by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana recently, apparently because of comments he made during an official meeting with Norway's ambassador to South Africa Tor Christian-Hilda. Soon before his suspension, Mdlalana had apparently told Manyi to choose between his job as director-general and the presidency of the Black Management Forum.
Land Reform Director-General Thozi Gwanya's departure from his post at the end of this month was confirmed by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti this week. The confirmation that Gwanya's contract had been "redetermined" came after initial denials by the department.
Public Enterprises Director-General Portia Molefe resigned in September. It is unclear why she left.
November saw the ousting of acting Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities Director-General Vuyi Nxasana by Minister Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, apparently after a breakdown in the relationship between her and the minister who was alleged to be loath to make crucial decisions, act on proposals or stick to ministerial handbook guidelines.
Nehawu said it found the situation "troubling, unsustainable and unacceptable", adding that it did not bode well for the stability of governance and service delivery. "The merits and demerits of these suspensions, resignations and dismissals aside, the message that comes out is that the centre is not holding in our government and that is a disturbing state of affairs," said Majola. "The biggest casualties of this chaotic situation is the citizens of this country who expect, and have been promised, service delivery... this presents a challenge when it comes to the implementation of the five identified priorities," said Majola. He emphasised that the country could ill afford the leadership vacuum created by the absence and the uncertainty surrounding these top officials because it demoralised the entire workforce in the departments and created uncertainty and instability. "Nehawu calls on the government to act swiftly in addressing this unacceptable situation of government departments that operate without stable leadership and also investigate the reasons that led to this spate of resignations and dismissals. "Service delivery should be a priority for all of us and... the government needs to start providing clear decisive leadership before it's too late," said Majola.
Source: IoL
Nehawu general secretary Fikile Majola said the "centre does not hold", intimated that President Jacob Zuma must lead and pointed out that the directors-general were in a state of flux, which bode ill for service delivery. "We expect better answers and compelling reasons about this (Mohlala) dismissal than the tired old line of 'broken trust' because we want to know what broke the trust," said Majola.
The past 18 months had seen the departure of directors-general Njabulo Nduli, Pam Yako, Jimmy Manyi, Thozi Gwanya, Portia Molefe, Vuyi Nxasana and Mohlala.
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson told senior officials in the department this week that Nduli had gone on leave, a month after she criticised her director-general in Parliament for the department's regular production of substandard briefing documents. While sources said Nduli would not return, the ministry had refused to confirm or deny the termination of her contract. Dr Moshibudi Rampedi, who allegedly applied for a Food and Agriculture Organisation post last month, was appointed acting director-general this week.
Water Affairs Director-General Pam Yako has been on suspension for a year since being placed on special leave by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica pending the outcome of an investigation of alleged procurement irregularities. The auditor-general has since found that a contract with a service provider for information technology services was extended "on numerous occasions" to 49 months, and grew in value by 587 percent in the process to more than R1-billion. The extensions contravened the department's procurement and delegation of authority regulations.
Labour Director-General Jimmy Manyi was suspended by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana recently, apparently because of comments he made during an official meeting with Norway's ambassador to South Africa Tor Christian-Hilda. Soon before his suspension, Mdlalana had apparently told Manyi to choose between his job as director-general and the presidency of the Black Management Forum.
Land Reform Director-General Thozi Gwanya's departure from his post at the end of this month was confirmed by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti this week. The confirmation that Gwanya's contract had been "redetermined" came after initial denials by the department.
Public Enterprises Director-General Portia Molefe resigned in September. It is unclear why she left.
November saw the ousting of acting Women, Youth, Children and People with Disabilities Director-General Vuyi Nxasana by Minister Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, apparently after a breakdown in the relationship between her and the minister who was alleged to be loath to make crucial decisions, act on proposals or stick to ministerial handbook guidelines.
Nehawu said it found the situation "troubling, unsustainable and unacceptable", adding that it did not bode well for the stability of governance and service delivery. "The merits and demerits of these suspensions, resignations and dismissals aside, the message that comes out is that the centre is not holding in our government and that is a disturbing state of affairs," said Majola. "The biggest casualties of this chaotic situation is the citizens of this country who expect, and have been promised, service delivery... this presents a challenge when it comes to the implementation of the five identified priorities," said Majola. He emphasised that the country could ill afford the leadership vacuum created by the absence and the uncertainty surrounding these top officials because it demoralised the entire workforce in the departments and created uncertainty and instability. "Nehawu calls on the government to act swiftly in addressing this unacceptable situation of government departments that operate without stable leadership and also investigate the reasons that led to this spate of resignations and dismissals. "Service delivery should be a priority for all of us and... the government needs to start providing clear decisive leadership before it's too late," said Majola.
Source: IoL
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