Much has been written since President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the concept of an electricity minister during his state of the nation address in February. How many ANC politicians does it take to fix a light bulb? writer Sam Mkokeli asked in the Sunday Times a few weeks ago. As expected, mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe and department of public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan remained in their positions. The great game-changer to lift our load-shedding woes is supposed to be the new electricity minister: Kgosientso Sputla Ramokgopa.
Mkokeli explained the likely thinking behind the electricity minister concept. It has a lot to do with party politics and little to do with fixing our power crisis. Within the ANC, Ramaphosa needed to find a way around the party’s Nasrec resolution that Eskom should be moved from the department of public enterprises to that of energy. This would be less than ideal since Mantashe has been blamed for delays in the rollout of much-needed renewable projects to create new generation capacity. But Ramaphosa also did not want lose the support and influence wielded by his ally Gordhan. The political solution to our power crisis was to create another new “neutral” position to project-manage Eskom. Hence the electricity minister.
Ramaphosa took to pains on Monday night to explain Ramokgopa’s role. His “primary task” will be to “reduce load-shedding” as a “matter of urgency” by working with “a whole range of other entities”. “The minister in the presidency for electricity will liaise with other relevant ministers to ensure coherence in the issuing of other directions during the national state of disaster,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramokgopa, a former Tshwane mayor and more recently the head of investment and infrastructure in the presidency, has described energy provision as the government’s biggest failure. In a document authored by him and titled SA’s Infrastructure Emergency: An Urgent and Collaborative Intervention, he said the state of energy was no longer a crisis “but rather an emergency”. Boasting degrees in civil engineering, public administration, business leadership and public affairs, our new electricity minister’s credentials are solid. This posting will be his greatest test. But he may find it an undo-able job, with his new portfolio being a political solution for Ramaphosa instead of a realistic new structure to help us overcome our power plight.
Other newcomers to the cabinet include the appointment of Paul Mashatile as deputy president. Then there is the decision to drop Lindiwe Sisulu, whose retirement is long overdue. If the main reason for Sisulu’s departure was her lack of loyalty towards the president, it’s bizarre that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma survived the reshuffle. Perhaps Ramaphosa wanted to send a message to the ANC’s critical constituency in KwaZulu-Natal that he is not petty and would not simply remove her because she defied the party and sought to have him removed as president. Now Dlamini-Zuma is the minister in the presidency for women, youth and persons with disabilities, one of several appointments that makes one wonder what message is being sent. In her case, the ANC had promised to take action against her for defying the party.
Zizi Kodwa, for instance, was flagged by the state capture inquiry headed by chief justice Raymond Zondo for his involvement in questionable transactions with former EOH tech group director Jehan Mackay. Zondo went as far as to recommend that Ramaphosa reconsider Kodwa’s position as deputy state security minister. Monday night he was rewarded with an appointment to sport, arts and culture minister. It leaves a bitter taste in the mouth that in this same speech, Ramaphosa solemnly speaks out against crime and corruption.
Further, David Mahlobo, who served the Jacob Zuma administration as intelligence minister, was also exposed by the Zondo commission as having siphoned millions of rand for Zuma’s benefit. He too remains in cabinet for reasons not apparent.
Then there is no change in the police ministry, while South Africans are subjected to rampant criminality on a daily basis.
Ultimately, it seems what Ramaphosa says and what Ramaphosa does are two different things. This reshuffle was more about him saving face than facing the grim reality of South Africans’ daily lives mired in crime and corruption. The only way to show us there is light at the end of this agonisingly dark tunnel is to hold this new cabinet accountable and to monitor ministers and deputy ministers’ performances, as Ramaphosa promised to. In the end, the new brooms must hit the ground running. Not so much that they must help the ANC save its tattered reputation, but because ordinary people of different political beliefs have been starved of overdue services.
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