With a new Cabinet in place, there are fears of a shakeup among directors general (DGs), who are in the front line of government service delivery. In the past, political and personal differences between Cabinet ministers and their DGs have often led to the latter leaving the civil service. Labour DG Rams Ramashia left his job earlier this month because of clashes with his minister.

Like many other directors general (DG), Lindiwe Msengana-Ndlela (38) has received lucrative offers from the private sector, with huge financial incentives, but she has chosen to remain in the government. Msengana-Ndlela says she is humbled by the chance to serve the people. ”I have received lucrative financial offers but I could not accept them. I am committed to play my role and serve my term.”

The newly appointed criminal justice cluster team has briefed the Cabinet lekgotla on its plans to reduce crime levels within the next five years and bring them in line with international standards. But the first step will have to be to resolve the disjunctures that have resulted in the participating departments having different, often contradictory, priorities.

With municipal elections set for next year, the government is planning to announce major changes in the way local authorities operate. The focus fell on municipalities last month during President Thabo Mbeki’s whistle-stop tour, when most of the issues that dominated his encounters with ordinary citizens concerned failures of local government, from billing foul-ups to the provision of water and electricity.

Newly elected premiers in the African National Congress’s toughest provinces have used the appointments of their provincial Cabinets in three ways: to stamp their authority, tread carefully by accommodating political rivals, or to exhibit outright confusion. The M&G takes a closer look at the new heads of Mpumalanga, the Eastern Cape and the Free State.

When Japhta Lekgetho beat the African National Congress to become the only independent ward councillor in Soweto, many were astounded. During the 2000 municipal elections, Lekgetho’s Dobsonville community pressed him to stand as an independent councillor and then elected him — a rare feat in Soweto, an ANC stronghold. But Lekgetho is no ordinary leader; he is revered for caring less about politics than about people.

The appointment of the Cabinet and provincial premiers is the prerogative of President Thabo Mbeki — and one which he has so far determinedly exercised on his own. In part, Mbeki most probably does it to avoid the manoeuvring and the creation of cabals that would almost be sure to follow if African National Congress officials felt they could campaign their way into Cabinet.

The African National Congress was aiming for three-thirds of the vote and nine out of nine provinces. In the end they had to settle for two-thirds and seven and a half provinces. The ANC has won most of the votes in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal — but not the power to govern.

If we are to believe the opinion polls, the African National Congress will sweep to power with a two-thirds — or even a 70% — majority on April 14. How reliable are these surveys and what impact will these polls have on the undecided voter? Will they galvanise opposition supporters to cast their ballots and try and make sure that their parties are strengthened in the poll?