It certainly wasn’t a Night of the Long Knives. Nor was it a damp squib. But it was a relief for a public who, addicted to the destabilising, overnight reshuffles that were the hallmark of former president Jacob Zuma’s reign, had been asking loudly: Are we there yet?
In his announcement of the cabinet reshuffle, President Cyril Ramaphosa was kind to some of his detractors by retaining Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and harsh with others when he dispatched the underwhelming Maite Nkoana-Mashabane and contrarian Lindiwe Sisulu to the backbenches.
In elevating some of the younger deputy ministers he once again showed his penchant for playing the long game, making his cabinet younger and elevating more women to senior positions. For example, before her elevation to transport minister Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga had served as a deputy minister in that portfolio since 2021, as did Thembi Nkadimeng, who has now been appointed co-operative governance & traditional affairs minister.
They, with Maropene Ramokgopa (planning, monitoring & evaluation) and Khumbudzo Ntshavheni (minister in the presidency) are younger than 50, joining the ranks of Ronald Lamola, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane and Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, now in the cabinet. This cohort, with deputy president Paul Mashatile, who despite his youthful looks is in his 60s, could well become the backbone of the executive after the 2024 elections.
We are also seeing the shift in bringing on board experienced and qualified implementers, which is best embodied by electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, a civil engineer who has served in local and provincial government. He will oversee the Energy Action Plan drafted by the National Energy Committee, which has received widespread support from private and public sector specialists.
Apart from her previous work experience, Chikunga obtained a master's degree from the University of Pretoria, Ntshavheni has an MBA from Bradford University in the UK, while Maropene Ramokgopa has long experience in international relations and could be a foreign affairs minister in the making.
One of the questions being debated is how healthy it is for the president to concentrate so many structures around him. In my humble opinion it is understandable, though not healthy. Many other democratically elected executives favour a centre of government approach that comprises ministries and structures that provide support to the president and not services directly aimed at the citizenry.
It is therefore understandable to ensure that some structures are contained in the presidency to perform cross-government functions, focusing on policies and programmes that require collaboration among several departments. However, in our case this process seems to be somewhat haphazard and arbitrary. Having a planning, monitoring and evaluation function in the presidency makes sense, but many of the other additions don’t.
The parliamentary opposition complained correctly that there isn’t a clearly articulated process for structures in the presidency to account to the legislature, since there isn’t a portfolio committee focused on that. Two other issues deserve comment:
- The optics of secretary-general of the ANC and general secretaries of the SACP and Cosatu - Fikile Mbalula, Solly Mapaila and Solly Phetoe respectively - seen together at the president’s announcement spoke volumes. It is an indication of the interests Ramaphosa was trying to balance, and also hints at improved rapprochement in the tripartite alliance.
- While dealing in detail with the approach to the electricity crisis, Ramaphosa should have addressed the other “buffaloes” in the room: renewed suggestions of irregularities in his cattle business and allegations of corruption at Eskom.
- A public that has long become sceptical of bloated executive structures and bureaucracies should be holding Ramaphosa to his words: “I have instructed the presidency and National Treasury to develop a proposal to rationalise government departments, entities and programmes to ensure greater efficiency”.
• Abba Omar is director of operations at the Mapungubwe Institute.
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