President Zuma should have put good governance above cronyism
The DA notes the announcement by President Jacob Zuma of new members of his executive. This should have been an opportunity for the President of the Republic to stamp out poor governance which has been the mainstay of his administration, and replace all poor performing Ministers with competent and dedicated individuals.
Instead, President Zuma seems determined to keep in the executive Ministers who should have got the sack some time ago.
We are pleased that the Minister of Communications, Dina Pule, after some initial foot-dragging, has been finally removed from the cabinet. The Minister has been found guilty by the Public Protector in her investigation into the ICT Indaba scandal, and is currently under investigation by both Parliament's Ethics Committee and the South African Police Service.
But this is just the exception. It makes little sense why the Minister of Human Settlements, Tokyo Sexwale should be removed from the cabinet, but the Minister of Police, Nathi Mthethwa, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tina Joemat-Peterson and the Minister of Mineral Resources, Susan Shabangu, for example, continue to be considered suitable candidates to serve in the executive.
Minister Joemat-Peterson has been found by the Public Protector to display a "blank cheque attitude" and her conduct regarding hotel expenses and travel was viewed as "improper and unethical." Her portfolio remains in disarray and she has admitted to providing public money to BAWSI just before the commencement of the violent farm-workers strike in the Western Cape.