Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) leader Pieter Mulder’s acceptance of a deputy ministerial post in the Jacob Zuma administration is a betrayal of all opposition party voters, a Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson said on Monday.
”Dr Mulder’s decision clearly puts pension before principle,” Manie van Dyk said.
”While Dr Mulder’s inclusion in Cabinet is a surprise to many, it is not to the DA. The fact is that the Freedom Front has never properly understood opposition politics.
”They would rather extract meagre concessions from government in return for their cooperation, than form part of a principled opposition to the ANC.”
The revelation that Mulder did not even consult the leadership of his party before accepting the appointment was an indication of his contempt for his colleagues and his voters, Van Dyk said.
”He seems to be more interested in the perks and privileges that come with being in Cabinet than standing up for the principles of his party.”
Van Dyk said it seemed Zuma’s comment during the campaign that Afrikaners were the only true South Africans, had persuaded Mulder to accept the Cabinet appointment.
”Dr Mulder’s acceptance of a Cabinet post will be the final nail in the coffin of the FF Plus.
”We have already witnessed how the National Party was completely swallowed by the ANC following Marthinus van Schalkwyk’s co-option into Cabinet. The ANC will swallow the FF Plus just as they did the National Party.”
FF Plus suspends youth leader
Meanwhile, the FF Plus ”temporarily” suspended its youth leader Cornelius Jansen van Rensburg pending a disciplinary hearing, party chairperson Abrie Oosthuizen said on Monday.
This followed a media release issued by Jansen van Rensburg on Sunday, in which he made certain allegations against Mulder, Oosthuizen said.
Thus, the FF Plus’ executive management had decided to temporarily suspend Jansen van Rensburg’s membership, in accordance with the party’s constitution, pending an investigation by its federal legal committee.
”The FF Plus is not prepared to tolerate any ill-discipline of this nature.
”The flood of support which we have received from across the whole of South Africa for the decision which the executive management of the FF Plus had taken that Dr Pieter Mulder, the leader of the FF Plus, should take up the position of Deputy Minister of Agricultural Affairs, is overwhelming.
”The FF Plus will not deviate from its principles and wishes Dr Mulder strength for his task in Cabinet,” Oosthuizen said.
On Sunday, Jansen van Rensburg said in his statement Mulder had accepted the appointment without approval from the party.
”FF Plus members and the party’s federal council only became aware of this decision during President Zuma’s announcement on Sunday afternoon.”
The FF Plus youth believed this was unacceptable and in contradiction to the party’s election manifesto.
”Dr Mulder cannot serve as both party leader and deputy minister in President Zuma’s Cabinet,” he said.
”Motshekga wrong choice for basic education”
The DA also said on Monday that new Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga is a poor choice for this role and children will continue to suffer from sub-standard education for years to come.
South Africa still had in place an education system based on discrimination, with good schools available only to those who could pay and desperately bad education for most, DA spokesperson George Boinamo said.
”We need a strong, principled leader with the courage to take on these problems, and Motshekga does not seem to be this person,” he said.
Aside from impropriety issues still hanging over her head and her mediocre record as minister for education in Gauteng, the DA was particularly concerned about her tolerance for the disruption of education by teacher unions, and her dismissive attitude to democracy.
The biggest problem to be solved in education was convincing the unions of the need to put the interests of children and the education system first.
”In recent times Motshekga has shown that she will not do this,” Boinamo said.
When the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) in Gauteng engaged in an explicit political campaign, taking teachers out of the classroom, she did nothing to stop them.
Her former department had still taken no action against a union member who beat up a teacher in Eldorado Park for refusing to participate in Nehawu’s political campaign, and she herself attended Zuma’s court trial when she should have been in an education meeting.
”If she wants to make a success of her job, she will have to show very quickly that she is able to take on issues such as performance appraisal, discipline, and other issues that teachers’ unions have resisted.
”However, she has on several occasions stated that she does not think education is that important, so we have our doubts that this will happen,” he said.
Motshekga did nothing during her tenure in Gauteng to show she had got to grips with the many problems in education.
At the same time, she had also been shown in her role as president of the ANC Women’s League, to be grossly intolerant and a zealous party hack.
Her comment that ANC members leaving to join the Congress of the People were ”dogs” stood out.
”In interviews with the press, she has expressed opinions about democracy that can only be described as Marxist.
”She has argued that opposition parties are not necessary, that people should just accept what the party does for them, and that South Africa does not have the ‘luxury’ of allowing the ANC to lose an election.
”These ideas are dangerous and, particularly with regard to education, do not suggest that there will be much room for discussion and debate.
”Finally, question marks still hang over her head about her involvement in 2004 as the beneficiary of a trust she helped to land a stake in a lucrative provincial pension payout contract,” Boinamo said.
Ministers arrive for swearing-in
Meanwhile, newly appointed Cabinet ministers arrived at the Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria on Monday ahead of being sworn in, with many turning up more than an hour before proceedings were set to start.
Zuma’s Cabinet includes a heavy dose of new blood as well as some familiar faces.
Former Education Minister Naledi Pandor has been appointed the country’s new Science and Technology Minister, taking over from Azanian People’s Organisation leader Mosibudi Mangena.
”I am very honoured as usual to be deployed and appointed to a government position by our President. It’s a great privilege, I am still getting used to it,” Pandor, one of the early arrivals, told Sapa.
Her deputy, Derek Hanekom, continues in his post from the previous term: ”There’s no doubt the minister will inject new blood and new thinking,” he said.
Former foreign affairs minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who has now taken the reigns at the home affairs department, acknowledged that she would be facing huge problems.
”Once I’m sworn in I’ll be facing huge challenges and I’ll be on a steep learning curve,” she said.
Asked about possible changes to the department under her leadership, she laughed and said: ”I haven’t even been sworn in yet.” — Sapa