The prospect of African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Jacob Zuma becoming president is profoundly concerning, Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille said on Monday.
Speaking at a press conference at Parliament to release the DA’s annual ”report card” on the performance of Cabinet ministers, she said the ANC succession battle is the defining characteristic of the Cabinet’s performance this year, from the president down.
While Zuma is obviously not included in the card, Zille made no bones about her concern at the prospect of him becoming president of the country.
Three things are particularly worrying, she said.
Zuma has never told the public what his policies would be should he become president, and has always ”ducked” questions in this regard.
He has never laid his policies on the table and promoted or defended them, but simply said what his particular audience at the time wanted to hear.
So, Zuma’s policies are still unknown, but his ”judgement in critical situations” and what ”constituencies he owes favours to” are indeed known. ”Put these [three things] together, and there is cause for profound concern,” Zille said.
The country needs a leader who understands and defends the Constitution and its values. While she was reluctant to name who she thought would fit the bill, she eventually said they would include Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and businessman Cyril Ramaphosa.
Zille said it is absolutely essential that Zuma go to trial so that his innocence or guilt of corruption allegations against him can be proven.
In its Cabinet ”report card”, the DA has given top marks to Mlambo-Ngcuka. She scored seven out of 10 points in the end-of-term report in which Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang scored nil and President Thabo Mbeki’s score dropped to a failing grade of four points.
Rating the Cabinet
Introducing the scorecard, Zille said Mbeki’s low score is the result of his use of state institutions either to protect his allies or to attack his opponents in his struggle to keep charge of the ANC.
A number of economic ministers have also been marked down from the scores they obtained last year. Even Manuel suffered. ”He did not impress with his stubborn refusal to use the power he holds to promote job creation and growth-fuelled investment, instead letting the growth of our economy limp forth on short-term portfolio inflows and debt-fuelled consumption,” Zille said.
Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa scored a derisory one out of 10 on account of his failure to keep the National Lottery going, which ”inspired serious doubts in his ability to bring about any positive effects to the economy”.
Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, the Communications Minister, scored two because she ”continued to keep the brakes on the development of an efficient telecommunications environment and yet again to delay the introduction of competition for Telkom”, Zille said.
Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula scored three, partly because of his willingness to allow Jackie Selebi to continue as police National Commissioner.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma was marked down because she allowed South Africa’s human rights reputation to be severely undermined after a series of questionable votes at the United Nations.
The only other minister to score as well as the deputy president was Makhenkesi Stofile, Minister of Sport and Recreation, who was praised for the preparations for the Soccer World Cup in 2010, and for ending the mud-slinging over racial quotas in representative teams. — Sapa, I-Net Bridge
The Mail & Guardian’s definitive Cabinet report card will be published in our year-end edition on Friday December 21