On a scale from one to 10, government ministers scored an ”unsatisfactory” 4,67 this year, according to the Democratic Alliance’s annual Cabinet report card.
”The DA believes that Cabinet failed to pass muster in 2008, but performed, on balance, marginally better than last year,” DA leader Helen Zille told a media briefing at Parliament on Wednesday.
Last year, the Cabinet scored 4,33 on the same scale.
The three worst performers listed in the document are Communications Minister Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, Correctional Services Minister Ngconde Balfour and Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, who all scored one.
Top performers among President Kgalema Motlanthe’s 28-strong team — all of whom scored an eight — are new Health Minister Barbara Hogan, new Public Works Minister Geoff Doidge and Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena.
Zille said the most improved performer this year was Education Minister Naledi Pandor, who scored seven out of ten — up from 2007’s five.
Noting that 2008 had been a ”tumultuous year” with the resignation of President Thabo Mbeki, his deputy and several senior ministers, Zille said some of the new Cabinet appointments had been ”inadvisable”.
She singled out the decision to shift former Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang to the President’s Office as an example of this, saying the move might have stopped her from further damaging health, but had not been beneficial for her new portfolio.
”[The shift] jeopardises many important programmes that fall under her ambit, including the Office on the Status on Women, the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, and the Office on the Rights of the Child.
”It is difficult to think of any person less suited to managing these tasks than Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang,” she said.
Motlanthe himself scored a provisional six in the DA report, while his deputy, Baleka Mbete, secured a provisional seven.
Zille said Motlanthe had been set to score eight out of 10, until he ”stumbled and fell over his first major hurdle” last Monday, when he announced his decision to dismiss Vusi Pikoli.
Finance Minister Trevor Manuel scored seven out of 10, up from last year’s six.
DA Chief Whip Ian Davidson told journalists Manuel’s real test would come next year, when the full effects of the global financial crisis struck South Africa.
”While he has followed prudent macro-economic policy in the past, his real test is going to come now, as to how he reacts to the downturn,” he said.
While praising Manuel’s ”steady hand at the tiller” of South Africa’s finances, Davidson had harsh words for the finance minister’s trade and industry counterpart, Mandisi Mpahlwa.
”Going from good to bad — in fact, very bad — is trade and industry. While Manuel has slaved hard to create a sound macro-economic environment, Mandisi Mpahlwa really hasn’t come to the fore at all, unfortunately,” he said.
The DA’s report card is even harsher in its criticism, noting that he gave the impression this year ”of being barely awake”.
The document cites a failure to stimulate small and medium business development, delays in the completion of the review of the motor industry development programme, and problems with the National Lottery among Mpahlwa’s poor performances. – Sapa