The Democratic Alliance has released its ”report card” assessing the performance of Cabinet ministers since they assumed office after the April elections, saying the overall record has been passable but lacklustre.
”In a rating of ministerial performance on a scale of one to 10 across all 28 ministries, including the offices of both the president and deputy president, the average grade was five,” DA leader Tony Leon told a media briefing at Parliament on Monday.
The best performer was Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel, who scored 8/10, while the worst performer was Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who ”barely managed to scrape” her tally of 1/10, he said.
”Our appraisals of all the ministries reveal some worrying tendencies, in particular the state’s growing recourse to unnecessary and intrusive regulations in the private or commercial sphere.”
President Thabo Mbeki himself earned the overall average of five points, Leon said.
Although he achieved several successes on the international stage — notably his efforts to secure permanent representation for Africa on the United Nations Security Council and his contribution to peace efforts in Côte d’Ivoire — Mbeki failed to bring about a resolution to the political and economic crisis in Zimbabwe by his self-imposed June 2004 deadline.
Mbeki had been continuously outsmarted by Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe this year, mainly because Mugabe ”lies”.
However, Mbeki’s most serious domestic failure remained the HIV and Aids crisis.
”He declined to raise public awareness about HIV/Aids, and in October he launched a vitriolic and unsubstantiated attack on activists and experts who pointed to the link between high rates of sexual violence in South Africa and the spread of HIV, accusing them of racism.
”The president’s habit of singling out critics of the government and viciously attacking them intensified this year.
”Victims of his ‘rhetorical necklacings’ included [journalist] Charlene Smith; Anglo-American CEO Tony Trahar; Barloworld chief economist Dr Pieter Haasbroek; and, most recently Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
”The effect of these verbal assaults was to silence dissent and forthright debate throughout South African society.”
Turning to Deputy President Jacob Zuma, Leon said he had an abysmal year.
”His second term in office has been dominated by embarrassing revelations about his financial affairs and allegations of dubious business dealings with his ‘financial advisor’, Schabir Shaik.
”His suitability as both the head of the Moral Regeneration Movement and the deputy president has been called into question by evidence emerging at Shaik’s trial, which suggests that Zuma was bribed and that he peddled influence,” Leon said.
According to the report card, the recently reported GDP growth performance of 5,6% for the third quarter was testament to Manuel’s fiscal prudence and macro-economic discipline since 1996.
”He had another good year, save for a few disappointments.”
On the other end of the scale, Tshabalala-Msimang had been guilty this year of poorly considered policy-making; confrontation rather than consultation; and, most tragically, inexplicable foot-dragging over measures to provide treatment for people infected with HIV/Aids.
”Considering that deaths this year from HIV/Aids neared 400 000, these are worrying trends indeed.
”Pharmacists have been badly hit by the new pricing regulations. The minister has done little to stem the flow of doctors and nurses out of the public sector; initial targets in the anti-retroviral roll-out simply seem to have been abandoned; and the Department of Health is in a state of financial chaos. The minister must bear
full responsibility for all of these failures.”
Apart from Tshabalala-Msimang, the two worst performers were Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana and Public Works Minister Stella Sigcau, both of whom scored 2/10 — ”hardly an encouraging sign in a country with a 40% unemployment rate”.
”Another minister who performed well was the Minister of Intelligence, Ronnie Kasrils, who earned 7/10 for his efforts. His record stands in stark contrast to his predecessor, Lindiwe Sisulu, who hid behind a veil of secrecy on virtually all issues,” the DA said.
‘DA should look to the people’
The ANC replied in a statement later on Monday, saying it has taken note of the DA’s ‘report card’.
”The ANC welcomes contributions to the national debate which stimulate a meaningful exchange of views and which contribute to the ongoing national effort to create work, fight poverty and build a better life for all.
”The ANC is therefore disappointed that the DA’s analysis of government performance does neither. The DA’s contribution remains constrained by its narrow party-political interests, and contains little more than the hollow rhetoric of its earlier public pronouncements,” the statement said.
”The best assessment of government performance is to be found in the honest, and often critical, assessments we receive from the people themselves, through through the electoral process and the various forums of popular participation and engagement,” it added.
”The ANC looks to the people of South Africa for its ‘report card’. Perhaps the DA should too.”