| Now showing: Mbeki's reality TV [boodskap #115017] |
Wo, 03 Oktober 2007 12:33  |
Torreke
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Now showing: Mbeki's reality TV
INSIGHT
Piet van Niekerk
THE notion of being "part of a collective" seems to answer many questions
when one attempts to make sense of President Thabo Mbeki's reality
employment game called Political Survivor: South Africa.
With the exception of his former vice- president Jacob Zuma who faced
serious criminal charges at the time of his sacking, the rest of Mbeki's
impressive - and growing - list of axed (political) victims were well
respected work horses.
But this did not prevent any of them from taking the walk of shame the
moment Mbeki and his survivor game's Tribal Council decided to snuff out
their flame. His latest victim, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head
Advocate Vusi Pikoli, followed closely in the footsteps of the Deputy
Minister of Health Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge (August), the National
Intelligence Agency director-general Billy Masetlha (October 2005) and
Mangosuthu Buthelezi (April 2004).
The official reasons advanced by Mbeki for some of the dismissals appear
dodgy. In Pikoli's case Mbeki said in New York on Thursday that he believed
his decision to suspend the NPA boss was the best way to deal with the
conflict that had arisen between Pikoli and the Minister of Justice,
Brigitte Mabandla.
And all of this took place before the world learnt that the Scorpions have
been planning to arrest national police chief and Interpol head Jackie
Selebi with Pikoli's blessing. This was what on the cards before Mbeki
stepped in to protect his "untouchable" friend.
Another victim in Political Survivor: South Africa Madlala-Routledge, fell
foul of the president because of what he referred to as her inability to
work as "part of a collective". Ironically, the accolades have yet to stop
for her achievements in the Health Department.
Among the other survivors thus far is Health Minister Manto
Tshabalala-Msimang. One would certainly think there would be more than
enough credible reasons for Mbeki to vote a drinking and apparently thieving
contestant off his survivor island, yet she retains her indemnity necklace
as one of Mbeki's "untouchables".
So too does her predecessor, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who spent R14 million
on the Sarafina 2 disaster while still health minister.
Our own barefoot Premier Nosimo Balindlela has also "miraculously" survived
incredibly shaky tenures - first as MEC for Education and later as MEC for
Sport, Arts and Culture, only to go on to win the surprise reward from
Mbeki - premiership. Despite being voted the worst performing Premier in
South Africa in a 2004 SABC/Markinor opinion poll, Balindlela retains an
indemnity necklace.
Why the double standards?
The answer seems to lie in the ANC's "principles and procedures for the
nomination and election of members of the (ANC's) National Executive
Committee" for the event responsible for so much of South Africa's current
political turmoil - the ANC's party leadership elections in Polokwane in
December.
The principles stipulate that "cadres should respect and uphold the
'collective' decisions of the ANC membership as reflected in the resolutions
and outcomes of National Conference ... The ANC has long been characterised
by its ability to combine diversity and unity".
If being "a team player" carries more weight than "individual flare" on
Mbeki's performance appraisal clipboard, then performance will never be a
significant measuring tool. Instead, the ability to dance in unison around
the same fire will be much more important.
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa adds to this line of
argument by linking Pikoli's recent suspension to the ANC's succession
battle.
Holomisa believes "the problem with the ANC's deployment policy of
appointing cadres to key state positions is that when (the ANC's) infighting
becomes endemic, as it is now, then there is pressure from certain factions
to act against certain people who occupy important positions in the state".
"Increasingly we see that problems in government are a reflection of the
ruling party's problems," he added.
With "Polokwane December" approaching swiftly, Eastern Cape ANC stalwarts
are increasingly reluctant to share their views on Mbeki.
One thing that is certain (and made very clear) is that Mbeki's employment
practices have irritated some of his long-time supporters. ANC Nelson
Mandela Bay regional chairperson Mike Xego has already indicated that his
region are unlikely to support Mbeki's bid to win a third term as the ANC's
national leader.
While it is unclear who the Nelson Mandela region will support - there are
rumblings that it could be Tokyo Sexwale - at least one other Eastern Cape
region, OR Tambo, has indicated that it will abandon its support for Mbeki
and, for now, favours Zuma.
A branch representative said they don't believe that Mbeki's goals are
aligned to those of the people anymore. Asked about Mbeki's rationale for
hiring and firing, the OR Tambo representative said: "We just don't
understand it anymore."
Both this and Holomisa's arguments brings us full circle to the notion of
being "part of a collective".
When French social theorist Ãmile Durkheim coined the collective doctrine to
describe how an entire community comes together to share similar values, his
intention was to explain how a group of people can be motivated by at least
one common issue or objective.
It now seems Mbeki's collective
objective in his game of Political Survivor: South Africa is more focused
on the hidden agenda of his own
untouchable tribal council than on the common objectives of the people at
grassroots.
Piet van Niekerk is acting political
editor
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| Re: Now showing: Mbeki's reality TV [boodskap #115025 is 'n antwoord op boodskap #115017] |
Wo, 03 Oktober 2007 20:02  |
Koot
Boodskappe: 218
Geregistreer: Julie 2006
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Torreke wrote:
>
> Piet van Niekerk is acting political
> editor
Ek dink dis 'n goed geskryfde en raak artikel.
Dieselfde ou Piet van Niekerk het egter so 'n paar maande terug 'n
ongelooflik kras en neerhalende artikel oor Afrikaners in die algemeen
geskryf - so asof hy eintlik maar skaam is om van hulle af te stam.
Dit het tot 'n hewige reaksie in die Herald-koerant gelei (myself
ingesluit, moet ek bieg). Selfs Engelse mense het genoem dat dit die
verkeerde manier is om hulle respek te probeer kry.
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