Such has been the pace of political events this year that it’s difficult to believe it was just this week that President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled a new Cabinet. Much of the shrill outcry by the Democratic Alliance sounds like a hurried attempt to find a new bogeyman in the ruling party.
Perhaps the DA has a point. The ANC has not undergone a transformation since its elective conference in December. It continues to harbour the people responsible for bequeathing South Africa to the Gupta and Zuma families. So it’s not that surprising that the new Cabinet, despite a clean-up, still carries the likes of Bathabile Dlamini. She brings with her a powerful constituency.
It’s prudent for Ramaphosa to ensure all the many arms of his party will be behind him in the run-up to the 2019 election. But it does say a lot about the disdain government has shown towards women, that a minister with a failed record is now minister for women in the presidency.