report card
Making the Grade
What the scores mean
A – Take a bow. You’re doing an excellent job
B – Good, but room for improvement
C – You’re OK, but that’s all we can say for you
D – Get your act together. You’re verging on useless
E – Do yourself and the country a favour: resign
F – You’re fired
THABO MBEKI
President
Grade: A-
The “delivery president” has had an impressive debut since June, keeping true to his pre-election promise to get down to business. Cabinet ministers say they prefer working under Mbeki to under Nelson Mandela. They say he has a strategic vision, and an exceptional grasp of detail across most ministries. Mbeki is said to have told his new Cabinet in June that they had to visibly perform or they would be fired. He has displayed an intolerance of sleaze, sacking both the home affairs and the correctional services directors general for their forays into sporting entrepreneurship. His obsession with resolving the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo has breathed new hope into Central Africa, but the tangled web of vested interests could thwart his best-laid plans. Mbeki is a quintessential technocrat: he has sought to neutralise political conflict in South Africa. This means smoother government, but also a more boring public debate. The main criticism of Mbeki so far is also his greatest virtue – his tendency to centralise power, which improves efficiency but carries dangers of authoritarianism. He has struggled to shed his thin-skinned dislike of criticism – particularly from the press and feisty opposition politicians.
Prognosis: Needs to take one leaf out of Mandela’s book – a sense of humour.
JACOB ZUMA
Deputy President
Grade: C
‘JZ”, as he is known to his comrades, or “his excellency”, as some ingratiating staff call him, has done better than most expected. However, it is difficult to discern what precisely he is meant to do since Mbeki has effectively absorbed the entire deputy presidency into his own enlarged presidency. He has been caught between an inchoate government legislative programme, a powerful speaker and weak parliamentary management. But Zuma shoulders his existential doubt with some style and humour. He is certainly not heir apparent to Mbeki. Zuma has also been handed the poisoned chalice of dealing with South Africa’s traditional leaders. To date, neither the government nor the African National Congress has managed to develop anything resembling a clear policy on these unelected but highly paid notables.
Prognosis: Needs to take some tips from Al Gore on how to step out of the boss’s shadow.
KADER ASMAL
Minister of Education
Grade: A
It did not take long for the former professor Asmal to realise that he had been handed the biggest challenge of his political career. The education system, he admitted at the time, was in crisis. It was his unprecedented frankness in admitting the scale of the problem that gives one hope that it can be tackled. He has also shown a willingness to get tough with the teachers’ unions which had Asmal’s predecessor, Sibusisu Bhengu, by the short and curlies. With customary energy, Asmal has provided leadership and is helping to find solutions that actually reach the children in the schools. He has shown he is willing to listen, and remains a sultan of spin-doctoring. He has also been guided by the realisation that he must develop working relationships with all the players in education.
Prognosis: The real test of whether we can turn around a system that has destroyed generations of South Africans is yet to come.
NGCONDE BALFOUR
Minister of Sport and Recreation
Grade: B+
Balfour was one of the biggest surprises of the June reshuffle, when he was thrust from anonymity into a full Cabinet position. Since then he has been tough with the administrators of South Africa’s major sports – soccer, rugby, cricket and boxing.
Prognosis: His major challenge next year will be sorting out maladministration in soccer, the country’s most popular sport.
MANGOSUTHU BUTHELEZI
Minister of Home Affairs
Grade: F-
Buthelezi as minister of home affairs is a disaster. He protected his former director- general, Albert Mokoena, long beyond the point at which it had become evident Mokoena was ripe for the chop. And he has presided over chaos and demoralisation in his department. The appalling backlog in residence applications has made nonsense of our attempts to attract and retain foreign investment. As always, Buthelezi refuses to take responsibility for anything.
Prognosis: It’s about time Madiba briefed Buthelezi on the merits of retirement.
THOKO DIDIZA
Minister of Agriculture and Land Affairs
Grade: C
Didiza has striven to eradicate the legacy of her predecessor, Derek Hanekom. She felt black commercial farming was neglected during Hanekom’s tenure, which focused on small black farming. Her impact on the other part of her portfolio, land affairs, is less clear. The impending departure of her director general, Geoff Budlender, will leave a gap that will be difficult to fill. Land reform is a complex issue, as Hanekom found out, and there are mounting backlogs of land due to be redistributed. The departure of Budlender and others, and her unsympathetic treatment of Helena Dolny at the Land Bank, has created the impression that she is determined to Africanise her two departments.
Prognosis: Perhaps it is time to consider splitting the two largely incompatible portfolios.
NKOSAZANA DLAMINI-ZUMA
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Grade: B-
Dlamini-Zuma will never be just another Cabinet minister. Convention and the niceties of procedure are not her style. She doesn’t easily grant others her trust. She tackles things head-on in the near certainty that others, not she, will come away with a worse headache. All of which explains why she has offended so many of the delicate souls at foreign affairs, while apparently impressing so many in the Great Lakes region. She is also, however, capable of extraordinary warmth and charm.
Prognosis: She badly needs to begin to show and use her charm at foreign affairs, otherwise she could soon lose much talent and expertise – both black and white – that will be difficult to regenerate.
ALEC ERWIN
Minister of Trade and Industry
Grade: B+
Like Manuel, Erwin continues to endear himself to the business community. He has delivered a commendable performance in the gruelling European Union trade deal negotiations, where South Africa’s team had to joust with some of the most experienced and sly negotiators in the arcane world of trade agreements. That trade deal owes much to the political will and intellectual capacity of Erwin himself, who was a major force in the wings. Erwin’s role in closing the big foreign arms deal in the second half of the year, particularly in trying to firm up the offset deals under which jobs and technology might be transferred to South Africa, was similarly impressive. But he has yet to come up with strikingly imaginative answers to South Africa’s biggest problem: a crippling unemployment rate.
Prognosis: Needs a new tailor, and like his mentor, Mbeki, a sense of humour
GERALDINE FRASER-MOLEKETI
Minister of Public Service and Administration
Grade: B
Fraser-Moleketi, a communist stalwart, has been at odds with the organised working class over the public sector wage increases. Like Mdladlana and Radebe, she has coped well. She’s tough. And she is not to be underestimated. Now Fraser- Moleketi has to grasp the nettle of rationalising the civil service and retrenching where necessary.
Prognosis: Hope she’s getting a good rest this festive season, because she is likely to spend the better part of next year in the frontline of the battle between the government and the unions.
RONNIE KASRILS
Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry
Grade: B+
Red Ronnie has become Green Ronnie. The only thing you’ll find the former deputy defence minister armed with these days is his fly-fishing rod, as he heads off upstream, stalking trout. By all accounts, he is doing a good job at water affairs. He works hard, and has infectious energy. Someone who cares about ordinary people, he has taken his warm touch with him to the outlying areas where his department’s work is most needed. Although he lost the talented Thami Sokutu, now director general at public works, he has managed, rather deftly, to make everyone else feel wanted and valued. In the process, he has retained the bulk of the able team bequeathed by Asmal, his predecessor.
Prognosis: Kasrils continues to show bad judgment in one important respect. He supports a third-rate soccer team called Arsenal, an assortment of French and Dutch thugs now living in England. The club’s only virtue is that it keeps a lot of yobs off the streets of North London on most Wednesday nights and Saturday afternoons.
MOSIOUA LEKOTA
Minister of Defence
Grade: B
‘Terror” has been relying heavily on his officials since being appointed in June – sensible for someone who was a stranger to defence matters. His one blot came during the Tempe crisis. His initial handling of the situation was outstanding. Lekota defused racial tensions admirably. But, upset at what he saw as inflammatory local press coverage, he later invited himself into a Bloemfontein newspaper’s offices with a couple of uniformed military officers and proceeded to berate the editor. Otherwise, Lekota has handled the closing stages of South Africa’s huge arms deal well.
Prognosis: If he can rediscover the political and people skills for which he was once famous, he should be the right man to oversee the reduction in the size of the defence force by another 20E000 people. He could also succeed in rebuilding the force’s morale before its expensive new toys start arriving.
PENUELL MADUNA
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development
Grade: C+
A for effort. Maduna has brought vigour to the justice department, much needed after the term of his predecessor, Abdullah Omar. He has enthusiastically set about cleaning things up. But his problem – our problem? – is the impulsive and often bombastic form his enthusiasm tends to take. He is too quick on the draw and shoots from the hip. Some of the issues on which he has clashed with the judiciary and magistracy have been legitimate matters for public debate – such as their work rates, their costs to the taxpayer, and the like. But the way in which he has raised them has embarrassed the government and meant the premature retirement of these issues from the public agenda. Maduna can also be criticised for the calibre of the academics and officials to whom he has entrusted the planning of legislation.
Prognosis: Aim, Penuell, and timing are your greatest challenges.
TREVOR MANUEL
Minister of Finance
Grade: A-
Our economy has survived the emerging markets crisis of recent years in much better shape than most. This is a tribute to the fiscal and monetary discipline Manuel – with Mbeki’s backing – has pursued in the face of serious political pressures from within the ANC-led alliance. Manuel has developed a strong team of officials, led by his trusty director general, Maria Ramos. He gets and takes good advice. He has ensured that information about our finances is much more accessible than before, so inviting more and better- informed participation from civil society in the budget-making process. And he has developed a political style – sometimes oracular, occasionally amusing, often quirky – that has served him well.
Prognosis: If, as we hope, the economy surges into 3% growth next year, Manuel’s passion for tight monetary policy will have been vindicated.
IVY MATSEPE-CASABURRI
Minister of Communications
Grade: D
Has yet to shine since getting the portfolio in the June reshuffle. She has adopted a “hands-off” approach to most of the crises that have crossed her desk – in particular the mess at the SABC, the debacle in the South African Telecommunications Regulatory Authority and the delays in awarding a third cellular licence.
Prognosis: The ANC is running out of positions to redeploy her to.
MEMBATHISI MDLADLANA
Minister of Labour
Grade: B
Labour is not going to be an easy seat in the next few years. A major clash is looming with public sector workers over the job cuts that are in the offing. Mdladlanahas already had a baptism of fire with the public service pay row in August. He will also have to brace himself for more haggling over our controversial labour legislation.
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Prognosis: So far, he’s been lucky to have Sipho Pityana at his side. Pityana has now gone to foreign affairs, and could be sorely missed.
PHUMZILE MLAMBO-NGCUKA
Minister of Minerals and Energy
Grade: B
Mlambo-Ngcuka was a good choice for this complex portfolio, after her impressive performance in the deputy slot at trade and industry. She has acquitted herself reasonably well so far. Within the oil industry, she is regarded as more accessible than her predecessor, Maduna. She also appears quicker to grasp the issues, which should help smooth the transformation of the energy sector.
Prognosis: The battle over the construction of a new nuclear reactor is likely to dominate her year.
MOHAMMED VALLI MOOSA
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Grade: A
Moosa achieved a first among his Cabinet colleagues when his bum was exposed in Out There magazine. But he has also proved an outstanding minister – perhaps, thus far, the best of the 1999 class. He has demonstrated a grasp of and enthusiasm for his portfolio. This includes a real belief in tourism’s potential as a job creator. The regular mountain-walker and Two Oceans cyclist knows what he’s talking about, and does so with conviction. What’s more, he is an entirely professional politician.
Prognosis: This ministry should be split in two, with Valli making tourism a weightier ministry.
SANKIE MTHEMBI-MAHANYELE
Minister of Housing
Grade: C
After a poor start, Mthembi-Mahanyele appears to be making some headway in tackling South Africa’s massive housing crisis. But significant problems remain. The complicated housing subsidy formulas are impossible to understand – particularly for the impoverished masses. There is also sometimes a lack of urgency in her handling of this key post. When, for example, the Western Cape announced that it had run out of money for housing subsidies, there was no response nationally, nor an attempt to find a creative solution.
Prognosis: The most improved minister since the 1998 report card. Who knows? She might even be in the running for a C+ next year.
SYDNEY MUFAMADI
Minister of Provincial and Local Government
Grade: C+
Mufamadi was pretty laid back when he was minister of safety and security, a style more suited to his present occupation. That said, we are still trying to figure out exactly what he has done since he was demoted to the post in June. True, the financial state of the provinces looks a whole lot healthier – but it is hard to know what he had to do with it.
Prognosis: A busy year for Sydney, wrestling with the demarcation of municipal boundaries in the run-up to next year’s local government elections while his predecessor, Moosa, will be having much more fun swimming in the buff.
BEN NGUBANE
Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology
Grade: B+
The likeable and knowledgeable Ngubane has an unwieldy, amorphous portfolio. But with his medical and cultural background he has made real impact. His loss was widely felt when he was temporarily dispatched to KwaZulu-Natal as premier. He works well with his deputy, Brigitte Mabandla, and his officials. He is the only Inkatha Freedom Party member who deserves a place in the Cabinet on merit.
Prognosis: Ngubane has a massive challenge before him: how, if at all, does South Africa give equal status to our 11 official languages?
JOE NHLANHLA
Minister of Intelligence
Grade: F
Mbeki clearly feels Nhlanhla is absolutely trustworthy, which, thankfully, means he has at least one redeeming quality. Unfortunately, that’s the good news. Nhlanhla displays a dire lack of management skills, leadership and expertise. He sure ain’t James Bond. The minister has presided over one embarrassment after another, first as deputy and now as full minister. The latest that we know of is the bungled surveillance of the German embassy in Pretoria. On the evidence available, he has never got to grips with the process of integrating the former apartheid and liberation movement intelligence and security apparatuses. Nor has he managed to rationalise – if necessary by inspiring a constitutional amendment – our unwieldy proliferation of intelligence and security agencies. Contrary to his briefings to MPs, the South African security and intelligence services are, we understand, now considered something of a joke by their counterparts abroad. The new directors general at the National Intelligence Agency and South African Secret Service have tough jobs on their hands.
Prognosis: If South Africa’s intelligence services stand any chance of redemption, this man must go.
ABDULLAH OMAR
Minister of Transport
Grade: C
Omar appears to have transferred his legendary lack of flair from justice to transport. No matter what he does, it is difficult to avoid drawing comparisons with his brilliant predecessor, Mac Maharaj.
Prognosis: He’ll need more than a successful Drive Alive campaign to ensure his own political survival.
ESSOP PAHAD
Minister in the Office of the President
Grade: C
The ultimate Mbeki loyalist, Pahad is quite effective at what he is really meant to do: keep discipline within government ranks. He is the eyes and ears of “the boss”, particularly in the ANC caucus. Many MPs give private thanks that they don’t have to make friends with him. But if they’re smart and ambitious, they can’t afford to get on his wrong side. Pahad has also been effective at the more formal side of his job. He is responsible for gender and youth issues in the presidency, and for promoting the rights and needs of the disabled. In the debating chambers of Parliament, he is unappealing, combative and often insulting, a style that hinders serious debate. He revels in savaging the person and the party, particularly if it’s the Democratic Party or the New National Party that’s in the hot seat.
Prognosis: If Pahad is ever short of a job, Swaziland is still looking for a hangman.
JEFF RADEBE
Minister of Public Enterprises
Grade: B+
Admittedly, Stella Sigcau’s reputation is so poor that even Mr Bean could have bettered her performance. But Radebe has nonetheless pulled off an impressive first six months in the privatisation portfolio. As a staunch communist, he must be undergoing considerable ideological turmoil, having been charged with propelling Mbeki’s privatisation programme. He has boldly announced that he will be presiding over the sale of R150-billion of state assets by 2004.
Prognosis: His toughest challenge will be to keep his nerve in the face of opposition from some in the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the Communist Party.
STELLA SIGCAU
Minister of Public Works
Grade: F
Oh dear. After a dismal performance in public enterprises she was entrusted with another vital portfolio where she has predictably performed no better. The state has a huge land and asset portfolio, some of which is essential for the delivery of government services, but much of it which should be available for private sale. We search in vain for evidence that Sigcau is bringing any urgency to her work. The only really good news from her department is her appointment of Thami Sokutu as director general.
Prognosis: We propose an ambassadorship to the Mohican reserve in the United States where Sol Kerzner operates a casino.
BEN SKOSANA
Minister of Correctional Services
Grade: F
Skosana appears to owe his position in Cabinet to Mbeki’s efforts to tame the IFP. There is no other reason for him to be there. If there was one issue which demonstrates his unsuitability it was his botched handling of Khulekani Sitole, his former commissioner. When it was obvious to all – including, thank heavens, Parliament’s public accounts committee – that Sitole should be fired, Skosana cleared the disgraced official. But the public accounts committee found against Sitole, and Mbeki fired him.
Prognosis: Hopefully Mbeki will extend his treatment of Sitole to the minister.
ZOLA SKWEYIYA
Minister of Welfare and Population Development
Grade: D
Skweyiya does not seem to have recovered from his shock at being moved into welfare and population development, something he knew very little about. His performance has been low key. Welfare should be one of the major portfolios, not an afterthought. The victims of poverty and deprivation are many and desperate. After a succession of directors general and ministers since 1994, it is unsurprising that the department has little in the way of vision. But Skweyiya has done little since taking office to change that.
Prognosis: After six years in ministerial office, we should not still be asking: Zola who?
MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG
Minister of Health
Grade: C+
Tshabalala-Msimang had to pick up the pieces after her predecessor, Dlamini- Zuma, was removed – sorry, promoted – to foreign affairs. Dlamini-Zuma managed to irritate almost everyone. The new minister, however, quickly set about repairing bridges, and reasonably successfully, too. Her closer working relationship with NGOs over Aids – despite differences over AZT – shows the benefits of her approach.
Prognosis: The Aids epidemic engulfing South Africa makes hers one of the most critical portfolios in the Cabinet. It’s about time she and the government dropped their irrational and uninformed prejudices against AZT.
STEVE TSHWETE
Minister of Safety and Security
Grade: B+
If Tshwete needs a job after politics, he should take to the motivation business – talking jaded sports stars or tired businesspeople up into a froth of determination. His effect on the police service has been to lift morale, which is no mean feat. He has apparently convinced many police members that he understands their frustrations. And he has demonstrated through public appearances with “super attorney-general” Bulelani Ngcuka and Maduna that he wants an effective partnership between the various arms of the criminal justice system. There are dangers in his gung-ho approach – namely that he will ride roughshod over human rights in his quest to trample crime. We hope that the new police commissioner, Jackie Selebi, with an impressive international human rights record, will ensure the police do not return to their old habits.
Prognosis: Hopefully he will put his money where his tough-talking mouth is.