The next president of South Africa will have to address the immovable entity that is cadre employment in a public service that is dysfunctional and inept. Cyril Ramaphosa may be the only one able to do it with as little rupture and blowback as possible.
I write primarily as an essayist, a commentator and as a middling analyst. I write, also, as a South African, importantly, here, as someone who has forsaken their democratic duty and will not vote. Never again. The first and last time I voted for someone was in 1994…
Let me make a bold statement. In the field of individual candidates — the persons leading parties into this year’s election — Cyril Ramaphosa stands out as the better of the lot. “Better” with heavy caveats. Careful now.
I have, in this space written critically about Ramaphosa, which should help situate my statement. It may not satisfy everyone, but see here and here.
The basis for the bold claim is two-fold. Firstly, Ramaphosa knows what ought to be done, and he knows what stands in his way; some of us have insights into this…
Secondly, the persons lined up beside Ramaphosa may look attractive only because they are not the ANC and most of them cannot be painted with the same brush as, say, Julius Malema, Jacob Zuma, and of course, Ramaphosa himself. Beyond that, they offer very little that is new, or that is not old wine in new wineskins.
Cadre employment as nomenklatura
You may say, as I have, over and again, that Ramaphosa lacks the courage, but this ignores the constraints he has faced. I may, for instance, be able to run, but it would be impossible to finish a cross-country obstacle course, or even run 100 metres, without collapsing in a heap. (I’m not sure the analogy works). Anyway, if you think cadre deployment is a curse, consider cadre employment…
About cadre deployment, seriously now, there are highly qualified former and current members of the ANC, some of whom played a significant role in the movement’s old military wing, uMkhonto we Sizwe, who I would trust before I do the cadres that may be deployed by Songezo Zibi, Herman Mashaba, Gayton McKenzie, Kenneth Moshoe, Ganief Hendricks, Malema, Zuma, John Steenhuisen or Velenkosini Hlabisa.
Consider “cadres” like Lesetja Kganyago, governor of the South African Reserve Bank (Sarb), who is one of the finest professionals, a brilliant leader who is respected around the world, and by everyone who is not Jacob Zuma, Julius Malema, Busisiwe Mkhwebane, Jimmy Manyi, Andile Mngxitama, Andile Lungisa or Tony Yengeni.
Consider “cadres” like Lungisa Fuzile, former Director-General of the National Treasury and currently Chief Executive Officer of Standard Bank. Fuzile, alongside people like Kuben Naidoo, former deputy governor of the Sarb, remains among the smartest, most trustworthy professionals who has incredible and highly developed knowledge and understanding of political economy, finance and banking.
Again, these people are respected worldwide, except, of course, by the usual suspects referred to above this paragraph. People like Joel Netshitenzhe or Mcebisi Jonas are such stand-out people that you always hope that they remain out of politics. The same would apply to Dikgang Moseneke.
Pause, and think about that…
There are, of course, others who were less-than-decent professionals who stand in the way of professionalism, efficiency, efficacy and sound public service and administration. Scour the records and minutes and you might hear statements about loyalty to democratic centralism, and not high levels of professionalism and trust in public service delivery.
What I am saying is that mass cadre employment, which includes people who were not members of the ruling political elite but who simply thought it was better to get a job for life than to work in a professional corporate sector where they may be judged on performance, has caused exceedingly difficult problems for the function of the state. They populate the public service and administration, as well as educational institutions (of higher learning), and agencies of the state.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Cadre deployment — a powerful and lasting bone of rolling political contention
Cadre employment saw a rush into public service by people who, simply because of fealty (real or fake) to the ruling elite or membership of the ANC (including the fellow who in the late 1980s was involved in public protest and was sent to Robben Island) which rubber-stamped their passage into public service.
This also includes the feller who was in exile, returned, entered public service which became an end in itself. There was no need beyond that, for professionalism or dedication to public service.
I am thinking about the feller who would walk into a room and ask women about the colour of their knickers. The one who would hop in his black C-Class to go and play golf every Wednesday.
For what it’s worth, the Robben Islander (can there be a better ticket?) who would imagine some tasks were beneath him, the former exile and any number of smallanyana public servants who, despite lack of performance or quite diabolical ethical lapses, cannot be relieved of their duties. They have jobs for life.
Sure, as a full-time writer, I too have a job for the rest of my life, except I live from one month to the next, without any benefits nor a retirement “package” and if I don’t work every day, I will not be able to put food on the table. Also, I dare not say or write the wrong things.
In the public service, you have all those luxuries and benefits, and you may do or say whatever you wish…
Untying the hands of the next president
The next president of South Africa will have to address this issue, the immovable entity that is cadre employment. I believe that Ramaphosa may be able to do it with as little rupture and blowback as possible. He would, of course, fill the pool of the unemployed, which is not something to wish upon the country.
Imagine, if you will, the fallout if John Steenhuisen tried to retrench 50% of public servants, those who fail every year to provide a public service of excellence. What is the likelihood of Malema demanding professionalism and excellence, when “getting rid” of some people and replacing them with others are ends in themselves.
When Mkhwebane showed up after the departure of Thuli Madonsela, Malema stood by her (Mkhwebane) simply because she was “an African child”. Malema was forced to make a U-turn when she was shown up as being incompetent and terribly misguided. Malema, as was to be expected, made another U-turn when he needed Mkhwebane to help fill the ranks of the EFF’s parliamentary numbers.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Busisiwe Mkhwebane to fight her successor for R10m ‘gratuity’
This is where I believe Ramaphosa can improve things. It would take extraordinary courage to (finally) professionalise the public service, as the National Development Plan laid out in 2012, albeit at this stage with a devil take the hindmost attitude to sending people into unemployment.
None of the leaders of the main parties in May’s poll stands out as new and original, except perhaps for Zackie Achmat, but he is a local force and he recognises the limits of his reach.
Zibi seems to be a combination of Steenhuisen and Mashaba, but with a greater intellect. Zibi’s strength is that he is not a politician. It’s a really bad example, and there is no moral equivalence, but consider that one of Donald Trump’s “strong points,” if you listen to the Magalomaniacs, is that he is not a politician, but a businessman.
Zibi comes from the corporate world and would appeal to his professional class. Yes, those are my Gramscian influences about transnational capitalist class formation showing… I make no apologies for that.
Steenhuisen leads a party which has run out of ideas. He himself seems unimaginative; he bangs on about opposing the ANC the way that Tony Leon did all those years ago. It’s like calling for a revolution when calling for a revolution is all that matters, and not what, actually, is supposed to happen the day after the revolution.
Herman Mashaba is the cold face of capitalism coupled with a touch of xenophobia. Athol Trollip is a much more trustworthy person. What exactly he sees in ActionSA/Mashaba beats me.
McKenzie sucks on the teat of coloured politics, with large amounts of xenophobia. Hendricks represents a dangerous and austere Wahhabist faction which is, thankfully, a minority. Malema and Zuma represent the politics of revenge and recrimination and are a danger to society. Inkatha is both regional (KZN) and ethnic (Zulu).
For what it’s worth, I actually don’t believe Ramaphosa will complete another term as president. Perhaps Paul Mashatile will become ANC leader, perhaps Ronald Lamola will be a better choice.
I have a strong sense, nonetheless, that Ramaphosa, with hands untied, can clean up the mess(es) caused over the past three decades. As one of the former MK members and “cadre” once told me: “The ANC needs to be punished”.
The ANC will be punished in the next election. Beyond that it will be almost impossible to clean up the mess(es) the ANC caused or presided over for three decades. It is a task too large and too onerous for any of the individuals who will lead their parties into May’s election.
Ramaphosa can do it, if he is allowed to, and given the room to do it. If only because his party caused all the problems that beset the country.
Here is something I learned. If you are going to destroy something, have something better with which to replace it. The ANC destroyed a functioning public service (because it was necessary for the injustices that came with the job at the time), and replaced it with something that has failed the public.
The next phase of destruction would need courage (to get rid of incompetent hangers-on among employed cadres) and invention (to find more professional people to fill empty seats), pressure, transparency and accountability.
I am not sure there are very many people who are better than Ramaphosa and who will be prepared to work in a system as dysfunctional as the South African public service.
Untie Ramaphosa’s hands, and wish him good luck. He will need it. DM