Zuma sends seven ministers packing!

analysts said yesterday.

No president since the end of apartheid 16 years ago has overhauled his cabinet as extensively as Zuma did on Sunday, a move in sharp contrast to his predecessor Thabo Mbeki.

Mbeki refused to fire his health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang who promoted garlic and beetroot to treat Aids instead of anti-retroviral drugs.
Even Nelson Mandela came under fire for refusing to fire his education minister Sibusiso Bhengu, blamed for shoddy results in the nation’s schools.
Political analyst Susan Booysen of the University of the Witwatersrand called the reshuffle a bold move by Zuma to shed his image as a weak leader.

“Mbeki never had the guts to make changes. Instead, he used cabinet posts as political insurance for allegiance,” she said.

The South Afrian Press hailed Zuma for his decisive action.

“Zuma has finally broken with one frustrating aspect of South Africa’s 16 years of democracy: he has fired someone,” The Times newspaper said, while The Star said he had acted to deal with “non-performers”.

Among those axed was communications minister Siphiwe Nyanda, a former military boss and senior official in the ruling African National Congress, who sparked an outcry by firing his ministry’s director-general after she raised corruption allegations against him.

Also sacked was Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya, minister for women, children and people with disabilities, who garnered scathing Press reports of lavish parties and extensive travel while failing to establish a programme for the newly-created department.

In addition to pushing out under-performing ministers, the reshuffle also aimed to soothe relations among the leftist allies in labour and the ANC Youth League who propelled Zuma to power in last year’s elections.

“He was exercising his authority as president, showing the people that he fully understands their concerns over some non-performing ministries,” said Prince Mashele, analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, a think-tank in Pretoria.

“The reshuffle also rewarded some people who had been loyal and supportive to Zuma. He did a delicate balancing act which involved keeping the alliance happy with certain appointments,” he added.

Among those promoted was former youth league firebrand Fikile Mbalula, credited with leading the campaign that saw Zuma elected ANC president in 2007.

A deputy police minister, he now becomes sports minister.

The promotion could quell the in-fighting between the party and its youth league, which has publicly challenged Zuma over issues like nationalisation of mines, but also Zuma’s personal relations with his multiple wives and children.

The opposition Democratic Alliance welcomed the changes, calling the reshuffle a “positive indication of renewed focus on accountability”.

But while Zuma said the overhaul aimed to better government’s efforts to serve the poor, analysts questioned said the moves might not be enough to step up public services.

“The real heavy-weight departments central to service delivery like education, health and crime did not feature in the line up, said Booysen.

“The reshuffle targeted soft ministries such as sports, communication, arts and culture. It almost looks like a draw out of a hat.”

Mashele said the reshuffle would have only a limited impact on government’s ability to reduce poverty or create jobs in a country with 25 percent unemployment.

“A mere reshuffle does not translate to effective governance,” he said.

“The country needs people who are capable of driving change, not just party loyalists.” — AFP.

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