Publications
Partners
Novelist W. Somerset Maugham said, “What do we, any of us, have but our illusions? And what do we ask of others but that we be allowed to keep them?”
This must hold true for many former South African ministers who would have held an illusion that they were to return to ministerial positions after the elections.
Their illusions may have been based on either pure ignorance and/or the culture of entitlement.
Some were clearly delusional because no judicious president would have risked appointing them as ministers and expected the voting public to smile at them.
Nine former ministers have resigned.
Some have not taken the usual pretence that they did so to protect their supposed hard-earned pensions, which are calculated at the highest level at which they served.
Before the election, the nation was promised a rather leaner Cabinet. Arithmetically, Cabinet was reduced but it does not seem that the true purpose was met, as the number of deputy ministers increased instead.
It is clear that various interests had to be accommodated. Even then, it was never going to be possible to accommodate every single interest, never mind satisfactorily.
The complexity of politics is that it can be a game of chance and luck. In a sense, it is not surprising that even those who should have foreseen that they stood no chance of being appointed to Cabinet decided to persevere and hope that fortune would favour them.
The fact of the factions within the ANC also presented an opportunity for bargaining and for serious horse trading.
It was therefore to be expected that, with a reduced Cabinet and the need to address various interests, some of the former ministers would not make it.
For many to have expected to be appointed was a serious illusion.
Most of those who resigned have served at least two full terms as ministers. Under normal circumstances, one would have expected that they would not even have availed themselves.
One of those who resigned served full terms for the past five terms. He ordinarily qualifies to be life minister.
Like others, he may have harboured an illusion of serving another term and reaching a record 30 years as minister.
If they have not contributed enough or at all, there is no hope that they would do so if appointed again, except that they may have an illusion that they still have a lot to offer.
Often resignations shock people. These ones should not shock anyone.
What should shock, though, is how dangerous illusions can be. Why would anyone who has an adverse Constitutional Court order against her as a minister expect to be appointed again?
It is almost ridiculous. Similarly, why would anyone have an illusion to be a minister for life?
It is as if, without that person, there could not be a Cabinet or a government.
Prior to the elections, the public had expressed its concerns regarding the integrity of a number of people on the party lists.
The ANC itself made attempts to prevail on members whose profiles would impact negatively on the repute of the party to use their consciences and step aside, but those consciences appear to have told them that there was no basis to do so.
When cornered after some refused to step aside, the ANC retorted that those on its lists were the product of the democratic processes of the ANC.
For a moment that closed the issue until the party’s integrity commission raised its voice just before the swearing-in of new members of Parliament.
Even after that, some proceeded to be sworn in. Then came crunch time, which started with other deployments culminating with the appointment of the Cabinet.
Up to that stage, illusions were still the order of the day.
When the curtain finally fell, the exodus started. Incidentally, only those who were ministers have resigned.
Many reasons will be provided but the coincidence that the resignations happened after the last deployment step cannot be ignored.
Some of those who resigned have walked away quietly and with some measure of pretentious positivity. Two of those who were not reappointed came out with guns blazing.
One threatened to expose the lies and rape in the ANC camps in our past life. The other penned an eight-page resignation letter, probably a record for a resignation letter in modern life.
It is not just the length of the letter that is remarkable, but the contents. The explosive allegations made therein graduate the smallanyana to the bigger stuff.
The contents point to allegations of corruption involving what the author calls the benefits derived by respected senior ANC leaders through their wives.
Well, thanks to the resignation, the nation now knows that respected senior ANC members, through their wives, had their fingers in the till as the social grant recipients suffered serious anxiety, uncertain about whether their grants would be paid.
It is clear that there is an air of anger and that expectations based on illusions have led to some explosions.
These explosions may just be a pointer to the uncertain future of the many who were appointed as ministers but may have their smallanyana skeletons still in the closet.
The army of the coalition of the wounded may grow. As the unprecedented resignation letter states, there might already be some plot brewing about the current leadership.
What will happen if many other allegations of malfeasance in respect of those appointed surface?
The 2017 ANC Nasrec unity project may not have materialised and seems unlikely to find any traction.
Just a few days ago, the president was supported for a further term. The ANC Women’s League was on steroids, agitating for more women to be deployed in strategic positions.
In a weird turn of events, the ANC is not women-friendly and not ready for a woman leader. The ANC is already bleeding from lack of coherence among its top leadership.
The economy became a victim in the past few days when the top leaders contradicted each other openly regarding the issue of the SA Reserve Bank.
The resignations have exposed further divisions and defined what appear to be battle lines. The level of instability does not bode well for the country, which is battling to regain its strength.
The resignations point to a reality that the so-called democratic processes and the much vaunted unity are but a ruse.
Branches did not nominate anyone on to the list on the basis that such people would be appointed ministers.
The understanding was that they were being deployed to Parliament and that any further deployment would happen from there.
Therefore, what made people accept nomination, only to resign after the appointment of the Cabinet?
The public must be forgiven for believing that the resignations are but self-serving and a clear sign of protest. There are men and women in Parliament who were removed as ministers and remain there as back benchers.
What is so unique about these ones who resign? Significantly, the beneficiaries of the democratic process did not return to those who nominated them to seek a mandate from them to resign.
In fact, those who worked hard to have them nominated must be seeing the stars now. Well, after elections, politicians will always redefine the concept of a mandate. There are two things these resignations may be pointing to.
One is that another new dawn of possible conflict and strife is upon the ANC and the country. The other may be that the current new dawn is presenting a real moment and dismantling the culture of entitlement.
Either way, the future remains uncertain. However, it is significant that the president has done something. It may not be what he promised and his arithmetic may not be that good, but the reality is that he may just be building a Rome.
He will need more than a day to build that Rome. The last heavily contested Cabinet change was made in the dark of night. It was contested from within for its lack of consultation.
This time around, the alliance partners expressed happiness at being properly consulted. Those who are disgruntled may find themselves against the entire alliance.
It is possible that we will see more resignations and changes to the Cabinet in the very near future. As the various investigative processes proceed, and with this new information about the wives and respected ANC leaders, another can of worms has been opened.
As the president more and more asserts his authority, we may just be destined for more drama and possible longer resignation letters.
Mannya is a practising advocate and writer
TALK TO US
Do the ministers’ resignations point to the democratic processes and unity being a ruse? SMS us on 35697 using the keyword ILLUSION and tell us what you think. Please include your name and province. SMSes cost R1.50. By participating, you agree to receive occasional marketing material
