Love Zuma, do you? The job's yours

21 May 2015 - 02:08 By Greg Arde

The comrades in eThekwini are a right bunch of Charlies. Last week it emerged that the city council was letting some of its security staff go and replacing them with 113 Umkhonto we Sizwe veterans.And the juicy bit is that, since the dawn of democracy, 39 of these comrades have been convicted of crimes including assault, drug trafficking and theft.The ANC's determination to look after comrades beggars belief.They'd sooner keep the party faithful happy than have the wheels of government turn.The enterprising journalist who unearthed this story, Nabeelah Shaik, interviewed some of the veterans to be hired by the city.One, a 56-year-old chap who spent four years in an MK camp in Angola, said he'd never had a formal job in his life."I have been waiting for this opportunity since the dawn of democracy in 1994," he said.I'll bet. He swells the ranks of losers linked to the ANC who have found comfort in the bosom of the state.That's reason enough to support the ruling party, I suppose.If they don't give you one of a multitude of welfare grants that suck the taxpayer dry, they'll give you a job protecting councillors from the people they are elected to serve.There's no use grouching about this relatively minor misdemeanour on the part of the ANC. Think about it, the only qualification half the national cabinet have for their illustrious jobs is their deep devotion to President Jacob Zuma.Otherwise they are entirely unsuitable in spite of the fact that it makes us and bright, hard- working ANC members cringe.I was obviously a bit glum reading about this, until something altogether delightful caught my eye in the papers.The eThekwini council advertised for a "Senior Manager: Talent Management".The lucky candidate who lands that job will pull up to R1-million a year to "develop, drive and monitor strategic talent management initiatives for the city".The ad conjured up images of the talent scout who hires for Madame Zingara.He traverses the land for sinuous trapeze artists, bawdy German sword swallowers, sexy dwarves and other interesting performers.Durban's new talent scout will have to find a city treasurer skilled in the dark arts of disguising debt; a city manager who can juggle political egos; and council workers able to sing in a chorus line.Or our new talent scout can just put his or her feet up and wait for the call from Luthuli House.Undying loyalty to the ANC: check. Okay, comrade, the job is yours.The ANC could fix half the problems afflicting our country tomorrow if the comrades internalised this pearl from Manuel Quezon, one-time president of the Philippines: "My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins."..

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